Macky Sall returns to Dakar ahead of UN Secretary-General bid

Former Senegalese President Macky Sall landed in Dakar on 17 July 2026 for a brief stop before continuing his campaign for the position of United Nations Secretary‑General. He arrived on a private jet from Paris, an aircraft made available by the presidency of Côte d’Ivoire at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, and is scheduled to meet his successor, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, later that afternoon.

The visit has sparked protests from Senegalese civil‑society groups. Horizon Sans Frontière and the Collectif des Victimes du régime de Macky Sall demanded that the stop not be treated as a routine diplomatic courtesy, urging truth, memory and respect for victims of political violence between 2021 and 2024. Opposition activist Aliou Sané of the Y’en a Marre movement warned that giving Sall a red‑carpet reception would insult the families of those killed, tortured or imprisoned under his former government.

Sall’s Dakar stop is part of a broader diplomatic offensive that includes meetings with leaders in France, China and the United States, aimed at securing African and international support for his candidacy as the current UN Secretary‑General’s term ends later this year.