Former President of Senegal Macky Sall plans to put forward his candidacy for the post of United Nations secretary-general, Senegal’s incumbent President Bassirou Diomaye Faye said during talks with President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso. The Congolese president’s press office told African Initiative.
“President of Senegal informed President Sassou Nguesso of the nomination of former President Macky Sall for the post of Secretary-General of the United Nations, suggesting that this initiative could receive the support of African states,” the press office said.
In October 2025, Jeune Afrique reported that the former president had already begun an unofficial campaign to succeed António Guterres. The current UN secretary-general’s second and final term expires on 31 December 2026.
The magazine noted that part of the informal campaign included the presentation of the former president’s book Africa at Heart, which took place on 24 September 2025 in New York during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly. Among those who attended were former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, former Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat, former President of the European Council Charles Michel, former President of Mauritius Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, and Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar.
According to Jeune Afrique, Macky Sall intends to rely on the support of African countries in order to draw the attention of members of the UN Security Council to his candidacy. This is due to the fact that the UN secretary-general is appointed by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
As the magazine reported, active support for Sall’s bid was provided by the leader of Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, who was overthrown in a coup in November 2025.
“Umaro Sissoco Embaló was due to arrive in Dakar on 6 October to discuss this issue with his counterpart Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Although the post of secretary-general does not require the support of the country of origin, critical voices have been heard in Senegal regarding the former president’s candidacy,” the magazine wrote.
In a conversation with Jeune Afrique, Embaló also expressed confidence that China, Russia and France, as permanent members of the Security Council, would support Sall’s candidacy.
Who could succeed Guterres?
In September last year, Bloomberg named several women among other potential candidates for the post of UN secretary-general: Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
The agency drew attention to a UN General Assembly resolution adopted in September 2025 calling for “special attention” to be paid to women when selecting candidates for the post of secretary-general.
Another contender considered to have strong chances is Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi. According to the agency, his candidacy could be supported by the United States, as Grossi’s position on Iran and on the UN’s sustainable development goals aligns with the priorities of the Donald Trump administration. (GSF)
