The trip marks the first time that Sall, who led the nation between 2012 and 2024, has returned to the west African country since leaving office in April 2024.More than 1,000 supporters turned out in the heat to welcome him mid-afternoon at a military airport in Dakar, where he greeted the crowd from atop a vehicle.Noisy throngs of supporters then flocked towards the presidential palace downtown as he arrived for his visit, cheering and honking loudly from motorbikes.Sall's party, the APR, which he still leads, had invited his supporters to come out to welcome him.
Supporters of former Senegalese president Macky Sall gather outside the airport ahead of his arrival in Dakar on July 17, 2026 © Patrick MEINHARDT / AFP
Sall stands accused by the current government of violent political repression during his last years in office that led to dozens of deaths and of covering up unfavourable economic data.The meeting granted by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sparked controversy within his own camp, which has been divided since he dismissed prime minister Ousmane Sonko, once a staunch ally.Following Faye's falling out with Sonko, he may be seeking political support from new quarters. Sonko and Sall are arch-rivals.
