During the 79th Ordinary Session of the United Nations General Assembly, held from 24 to 30 September 2024 in New York, Senegalese President Diomaye Faye denounced the geopolitical rivalries that are fuelling tensions in the Sahel, a region already beset by instability. ‘We can no longer close our eyes to the tragedy unfolding in the Sahel’, said Mr Faye.
On 30 May 2024, the President of Senegal, Bassirou DiomayeFaye, visited Ouagadougou, Bamako and Niger, countries belonging to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES). These three countries, which have turned their backs on France, the former colonial power, had announced their withdrawal from ECOWAS, which they accuse of being subservient to Paris and of not supporting them enough in the fight against terrorism.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44 years old, was elected on the promise of breaking with the old system. At regional level, the Senegalese head of government shares the same vision as the countries of the AES, which have placed particular emphasis on promoting pan-Africanism and sub-regional integration.
The people of Dakar, for their part, expressed their support for the President’s opinion during an episode of Micro-trottoir. They expressed their solidarity with the member nations of the AES and believed that collaboration between forces could have a positive impact on improving security in the Sahel. ‘I think that collaboration between Senegal and the countries of the Sahel could have a positive impact on the fight against terrorism in the Sahel, in the sense that terrorism has become a scourge and a very abnormal situation in Africa’, said one of the citizens.
‘African countries need to work together to find ways of intervening in the Sahel to put an end to terrorism. I think that this is the specific case of Senegal, where the President has already stated the country’s position, saying that we can no longer remain silent about the situation in the Sahel, because it is a situation that really concerns us all’, adds another citizen.
The countries of the Alliance of Sahel States are waging a fierce battle against armed groups. By joining forces with neighbouring countries such as Senegal, the region can make great strides in this fight. Increasingly, countries across the continent are putting the emphasis on regional cooperation and the defence of sovereignty.
