Mali

Mauritania

Senegal

Energy

Military & Security

Politics

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye met with Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in his first state visit since being inaugurated on April 2, Radio France Internationale reported on April 19.

Senegal: Faye Conducts First Visit to Mauritania, Discusses Energy Projects

Left-wing president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye was inaugurated as Senegal's new president after outgoing president Macky Sall stepped down, Reuters reported April 2.

Senegal: Faye Inaugurated as President, Appoints Sonko as Premier 

Economics

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Oil adviser to Senegal's President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ngagne Demba Toure, confirmed plans to renegotiate Senegal's existing energy contracts with international oil and gas companies, Bloomberg reported on March 28.

Senegal: Faye Government Confirms Plans To Renegotiate Energy Contracts

Amadou Ba, the presidential candidate of Senegal's incumbent coalition, conceded defeat to opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Radio France Internationale reported on March 25. 

Senegal: Incumbent Coalition Candidate Concedes Defeat to Left-Wing Opposition Figure 

Founder of Senegal's dissolved opposition PASTEF party Ousmane Sonko and opposition presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye were released from prison, Radio France Internationale reported on March 15.

Senegal: Opposition Figures Released From Prison Ahead of Presidential Election

Senegalese President Macky Sall confirmed that the country would hold the first round of its presidential election on March 24, Radio France Internationale reported on March 7.

Senegal: Sall Announces Presidential Elections on March 24 Following Court Ruling

Senegalese President Macky Sall said he will step down when his term expires on April 2, but he did not give a new date for the presidential election previously scheduled for Feb. 25, AP reported on Feb. 22.

Senegal: Sall Plans To Leave Office When His Term Expires, No New Election Date Yet

The Senegalese ruling party will abide by the recent Constitutional Court ruling against the delay of the presidential election until Dec. 15 and will organize elections as soon as possible, according to a government spokesperson, AP reported Feb. 16

Senegal: Ruling Party Says it Will Hold Elections as Soon as Possible

Assessments

Brazil

Haiti

United States

China

France

Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 11, 2024, in Beijing.

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Senegalese Presidential Elections, Xi Meets With U.S. CEOs

Former Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Ba (center), the ruling coalition candidate in Senegal's 2024 presidential election, prays ahead of a campaign meeting in Diourbel, Senegal, on March 19, 2024. 

A victory by the ruling coalition candidate would portend policy continuity -- and potentially violent protests -- while a victory from a leading opposition coalition would see a shift toward left-wing policies that could deter foreign investment.

Previewing Senegal's 2024 Presidential Election

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Ethiopia

Egypt

Israel

Palestinian Territories

Taiwan

Europe

Germany

Displaced Palestinians camp near the fence separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt on Feb. 16, 2024, in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Egypt will continue to prepare a contingency plan in case Palestinians cross the Egypt-Gaza border amid growing signs that the Rafah offensive could start as early as this week.

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Egypt Plans for a Palestinian Influx, African Union Heads of State Meet

Snapshots

An opposition supporter reacts in front of a burning barricade during demonstrations in Dakar, Senegal, on Feb. 4, 2024, after President Macky Sall announced the postponement of the presidential election. 

The postponement will extend President Sall's term by nearly a year, casting doubt over Senegal's political future, as well as ECOWAS' ability to deter such power grabs in the region.

In Senegal, an Election Delay Fuels Fears of Democratic Backsliding

Sub-Saharan Africa

South Sudan

Chad

Ghana

South Africa

Supporters of former South African President Jacob Zuma sing and chant in Tembisa, South Africa, during a recruitment drive for Zuma's newly launched uMkhonto we Sizwe party on Jan. 21, 2024.

Of the 13 countries holding elections this year, Senegal, South Africa, Chad, Ghana and South Sudan's ballots will likely be the most politically and economically impactful.

Previewing Sub-Saharan Africa's 2024 Elections

Cote d'Ivoire

Eritrea

Rwanda

Sudan

Togo

Uganda

People flee their neighborhoods in Khartoum, Sudan, amid fighting between the army and paramilitary troops on April 19, 2023. 

Government institutions in eastern and western Africa remain relatively strong, but potential succession crises, simmering unrest and weak leaders still pose latent risks.

Assessing the Risk of Future African Coups, Part 2: West and East Africa

Benin

Burkina Faso

Niger

Nigeria

Protesters hold placards denouncing ECOWAS on Aug. 3, 2023, in Niamey, Niger. While an intervention probably would topple the Nigerien junta, it could cause a regional conflict, boost jihadists and lead to a weak Nigerian civilian regime.

While an intervention probably would topple the Nigerien junta, it could cause a regional conflict, boost jihadists and lead to a weak Nigerian civilian regime.

How Might an ECOWAS Military Intervention Take Shape in Niger?

A man holds a Senegalese flag in front of the Parliament in Dakar on Sept. 12, 2022, ahead of the first parliamentary session since the July 2022 legislative elections.

In Senegal, a new opposition coalition rejects a possible third term for President Macky Sall, which could have grave consequences for the country's traditionally stable democracy.

Senegal’s 2024 Election Could Threaten One of West Africa's Most Stable Democracies 

Zambia

Japan

South Korea

Vietnam

United Kingdom

Ukraine

Two Leopard 2A6 main battle tanks of the German armed forces participate in the NATO Iron Wolf military exercises on Oct. 27, 2022, in Pabrade, Lithuania. On Jan. 20, the Ukraine Defense Contact Group of military equipment donors to Ukraine will meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, where a breakthrough is expected regarding the supply of German Leopard tanks to Ukraine. 

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Weekly Rundown: Germany Discusses Tanks for Ukraine, the Lunar New Year Approaches

Media

Kenya

Podcasts

The results of Kenya's and Senegal's widely anticipated elections could mean future economic and legislative uncertainty.

Essential Geopolitics: What's Happening With Elections in Kenya and Senegal?  

People wait to vote in Senegal’s legislative election outside a polling station in Dakar on July 31, 2022.

The ruling coalition’s failure to maintain control of the National Assembly will impede the Senegalese president’s ability to pass policy and pursue an unconstitutional third term. 

In Senegal, Legislative Losses Could Spell the End for President Sall

Turkey

Russia

A wheatfield June 14, 2022, outside Melitopol, Ukraine. Under a Russia-Ukraine deal struck July 22, grain shipments are soon to begin from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

The Weekly Rundown: Grain Shipments From Ukraine, Pelosi's Trip to Asia

Located on West Africa's Atlantic coast, Senegal is surrounded by Mauritania to the north, Mali to the east, and Guinea and Guinea Bissau to the south. Perhaps more interesting, it almost completely swallows Gambia, with the tiny country carved into its larger neighbor.    Senegal has been an entry point for Africa for many centuries. Its navigable river, of which the country's name is derived, has provided a transportation artery for locals and foreign powers alike. Indeed, the arrival of French imperialists in the mid-17th century changed the region's political trajectory dramatically. French influence was strong in Senegal, given its use as a base for French power projection into the rest of what would become the West African element of France's global empire.    Senegal's development since independence from France in 1960 as one of Africa's, and especially West Africa's, most stable democracies has allowed it to cultivate a relative influence in the region and in the Francophone world more generally, despite a relative lack of natural resources, widespread poverty and ethnocultural cleavages. Nevertheless, the country has had to manage a sometimes-troublesome relationship with its neighbor, Gambia, which provided safe haven and alleged funding to a long-running secessionist movement in Senegal's southernmost Casamance region during the reign of Yahya Jammeh, Gambia's dictatorial leader.    Jammeh's downfall in 2016 created a shift in relations between the two countries, leading to more cooperation across multiple fronts. Moreover, Senegal has emerged in recent years as one of West Africa's most promising countries for energy exploration and exploitation. The potential future financial windfall from energy production could help the impoverished country continue robust growth in the years ahead.

SITUATION REPORTS

Senegal: Faye Conducts First Visit to Mauritania, Discusses Energy Projects

Senegal: Faye Inaugurated as President, Appoints Sonko as Premier

Senegal: Faye Government Confirms Plans To Renegotiate Energy Contracts

Senegal: Incumbent Coalition Candidate Concedes Defeat to Left-Wing Opposition Figure

Senegal: Opposition Figures Released From Prison Ahead of Presidential Election

Senegal: Sall Announces Presidential Elections on March 24 Following Court Ruling

Senegal: Sall Plans To Leave Office When His Term Expires, No New Election Date Yet

Senegal: Ruling Party Says it Will Hold Elections as Soon as Possible

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