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Leftwinger one of a group of opposition politicians freed from prison 10 days before presidential ballotBassirou Diomaye Faye, a leftwing pan-Africanist, has been sworn in as Senegal’s youngest president, pledging systemic change, greater sovereignty and calm after years of deadly turmoil.The 44-year-old, who has never held an elected office, swept to a first-round victory on a promise of radical reform just 10 days after...

Bassirou Diomaye Faye promises to overhaul democracy in west African country blighted by corruptionJust 10 days before being elected president of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye was in prison.Years of political turmoil have left the west African state’s democracy teetering on the brink of collapse, with deadly uprisings and the jailing of opposition figurescommonplace. Continue reading...

Radical change candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye pulls off stunning election win after main rival Amadou Ba concedes defeatSenegal’s anti-establishment candidate looks almost certain to become president after a stunning election victory that is likely to steer the west African country in a radical new direction.A little over a week after his release from prison, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is almost certain to be declared the...

Country’s reputation as one of Africa’s model democracies under threat after weeks of violenceSenegal heads to the polls on Sunday after weeks of chaos, violence and uncertainty prompted fears that democracy had been fatally undermined in one of west Africa’s most stable countries.Analysts say the presidential election is the most wide open in Senegal since it secured independence from France more than 60 years...

‘Crucial’ UN resolution attempts to avoid repeat of injustices produced by Africa’s fossil fuel sectorIn an attempt to avoid the “injustices and extractivism” of fossil fuel operations, African leaders are calling for better controls on the dash for the minerals and metals needed for a clean energy transition.A resolution for structural change that will promote equitable benefit-sharing from extraction, supported by a group of...

Mati Diop, the director of Dahomey, which charts the restitution of 26 objects to Benin, says the tiny number involved is ‘humiliating’The first major return of looted treasures from Europe to Africa in the 21st century has left a lingering feeling of humiliation because of the lack of follow-up action, a French-Senegalese film-maker who accompanied a hoard of artefacts on their journey from Paris...

Student reportedly killed in the northern city of Saint-Louis while Dakar sees clashes between security forces and demonstratorsClashes between security forces and protesters gripped Senegal’s capital and other cities in the first widespread unrest over the delay of a presidential election that many fear could lead to protracted instability.In the capital, Dakar, police in riot gear fired teargas, stun grenades and what appeared to...

Mobile internet access has also been restricted, as parliament begins debate on bill to extend Macky Sall’s presidencyRiot police fired teargas to break up crowds trying to gather outside Senegal’s national assembly on Monday to protest against the president’s abrupt postponement of elections over the weekend.As protesters shouted slogans, parliament began debating a bill that would reschedule the 25 February vote for 25 August...

Macky Sall cites dispute between national assembly and the constitutional court over rejection of candidates as reason for delaySenegal’s president, Macky Sall, has announced the indefinite postponement of a presidential election scheduled for 25 February a few hours before official campaigning was due to start, provoking anger from opposition figures and a ministerial resignation.In an address to the nation on Saturday, Sall said he...