Never before have four governments, including one of the regional leaders, Senegal, been simultaneously eager and ready to get out of the neo-colonial stranglehold of the CFA franc.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
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Douglas Yates, American Graduate School in Paris (AGS)
With the conduct of the 24 March elections, Senegal’s President Macky Sall appears to have saved his legacy.
Protesters barricade a street in reaction to postponement of the presidential election in Dakar, Senegal on 9 February.
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Amy Niang, Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa
Attempts to postpone Senegal’s election indefinitely reflect deeper governance problems within Macky Sall’s administration, and the shortcomings of his chosen heir, Amadou Ba.
Senegalese police rank among the worst for brutality against protesters.
John Wessels/AFP via Getty Images.
Negative perceptions of police professionalism and corruption go hand in hand with low public trust in the police, poor marks on government performance, and citizens’ sense of insecurity.
The use of mother tongues as languages of instruction has become popular in many parts of Africa.
Issouf Sanogo/Getty Images
Douglas Yates, American Graduate School in Paris (AGS)
Senegal is considered west Africa’s most stable democracy because it has never suffered a coup d'etat. But all its former presidents have attempted to extend their tenure of office.
Former Manchester United forward, Bebé (centre), is one of the African diaspora on show at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
Legnan Koula/EPA
The new ECOWAS chairman must focus on strengthening democracy and security in west Africa.
Clashes erupted in Senegal following the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison for “corrupting the youth” in June 2023.
Annika Hammerschlag/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
President Macky Sall’s previous ambiguity on a third-term bid, perception of a weaponised justice system and arbitrary detention of opposition are the drivers of political violence in Senegal.
Increases in the number of women lawyers does not equate institutional change in the legal profession.
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