DAKAR: Senegal’s ex-president Macky Sall, who is campaigning to become the next UN secretary-general, held a meeting in Dakar Friday with his successor, a visit criticized by the former leader’s detractors.
The trip marked 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.
Sall stands accused by the current government of violent political repression that led to dozens of deaths during his last years in office, and of covering up unfavorable economic data.
The meeting granted by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sparked controversy within Faye’s own camp, which has been divided since he dismissed prime minister Ousmane Sonko, once a staunch ally.
