MACKY SALL TO STEP DOWN IN APRIL

Senegal's president, Macky Sall, said on 22 February that he will step down once his second 5-year term ends in April. This comes after a high court recently ruled against Sall's attempt to delay the 18 February elections to mid-December.

Before this, months of protests would end in demonstrators being arrested or killed. In June 2023, a video appeared to show Senegal police using an 8-year-old boy as a human shield in the face of spirited opposition.

Sall also said he was ready to release from prison a prominent opposition figure, Ousmane Sonko, seen as radically anti-French. Paris maintains a dominating presence in Dakar and throughout West and Central Africa, which it once colonised. France prints the CFA franc currency used across the regions, and significant French businesses operate in Senegal.

So far, no election date has been announced. We will keep you up to date on developments. But, in the meantime, let us know what you think.