Key facts
- Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is visiting Senegal.
- Sall is campaigning for the position of UN secretary-general.
- He plans to meet with current President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
- His government was accused of understating debt and deficit figures, totaling approximately $7 billion initially.
- Sall denies any wrongdoing.
Former Senegalese President Macky Sall is making his first public visit to the country since leaving office, as he campaigns for the position of UN secretary-general. Sall, who served as president from 2012 to 2024, is among five candidates vying for the role, which begins a five-year term on January 1, 2027. He is scheduled to meet with the current President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, before immediately departing Dakar. Sall remains a contentious figure in Senegal due to his attempt to postpone the 2024 presidential election, which led to protests, and accusations from the Court of Auditors that his government understated debt and deficit figures by approximately $7 billion, a figure later estimated by S&P Global Ratings at around $13 billion. Sall denies any wrongdoing. If selected, he would be the third African to hold the UN's top post, succeeding Antonio Guterres.