Former Senegalese President Macky Sall arrived in Dakar on Friday, July 16, 2026, to meet with the Senegalese Head of State as part of his campaign to become the next leader of the United Nations. Burundi had nominated Sall as a candidate for the United Nations' top job, according to a UN spokesperson.

Sall led Senegal, a West African nation, from 2012 to 2024. The current Senegalese government, in power since April 2024, accuses the former administration of concealing the true extent of the country's fiscal problems. Additionally, Sall is accused by the authorities of having severely cracked down on opposition protests between 2021 and 2024, resulting in dozens of deaths across the country.

Civil rights groups condemning the repression under Sall’s rule have spoken out against his arrival and meeting. Guy Marius Sagna, a member of the parliamentary majority, described the visit as "a third assassination, a third act of torture, a third imprisonment for all the victims between 2021 and 2024."

Macky Sall previously addressed the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, 2023, at UN headquarters.

Sources