Senegal's President confirms that his failure to run for a third term is aimed at averting unrest

President Macky Sall of Senegal stated on Friday that his announcement of not running for a third term in the 2024 elections aims to avoid disturbances in the country.

Sall put an end to months of anticipation by declaring on Monday that he would not seek reelection in the scheduled February 2024 elections.

In an interview with the French newspaper "Le Monde" published on Friday, he stated, "The only reason that would have led me to run for another term is if the country faced a serious threat to its stability. But that threat did not occur."

Macky Sall was elected in 2012 for a seven-year term and amended the constitution in 2016 before being reelected in 2019 for a five-year term.

He emphasized in the interview that he was not "under pressure" to announce his decision not to run for another term.

The Senegalese president added, "The political tensions in recent months have nothing to do with the issue of a third term. The roots of the problem are legal."

Senegal witnessed its worst disturbances after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison on June 1 on charges related to a sexual scandal, rendering him ineligible to participate in the elections.

The unrest surrounding the verdict, which protesters considered a prelude to Sall's candidacy for a third term, resulted in 16 deaths according to the authorities, 24 deaths according to Amnesty International, and 30 deaths according to the opposition.

The Senegalese president noted that the perpetrators of violence have "partners who tried to destabilize Senegal," pointing to the leftist opposition party "Frapp France Dégage" that supported the protests, considering it an "unacceptable interference."

He also considered it "uncivilized" to appoint a presidential adviser from Paris in March for a meeting with opponents of Ousmane Sonko.

Macky Sall further stated that he wants to "serve Africa and the world" after leaving his position.

He said, "We must reform global governance systems, or else we, as Africans, no matter how hard we try, will not achieve our goals. The Bretton Woods institutions were established after 1945 when we were not sovereign states."



AFP