By Lt Colonel Samsudeen Sarr (Rtd)
From the moment Macky Sall’s name emerged as “Africa’s candidate” for the next United Nations secretary general, the spectacle became more about optics than substance. His candidacy was formally submitted by Burundi on 2nd March 2026, conveniently while it held the chair of the African Union.
Then the headlines rushed to announce that ‘Sall Declared Africa’s Candidate!’, at least, that’s what they claimed.
The early media frenzy suggested that Macky Sall had the backing of the entire continent, but this illusion quickly untangled. There is no evidence of a formal vote, despite repeated claims in social media and some outlets of “20 out of 53 states withdrawing support”. What is verifiable is far less flattering. Several African countries quietly withheld support, influential states like Nigeria were reportedly sceptical, and no consensus ever emerged. In diplomatic terms, this silence is not just empty noise but a firm, or polite, refusal. The AU never unified behind Sall, and what some initially saw as momentum was, in reality, a misread of courtesy and procedural ambiguity.
Beyond procedural hiccups, the structural realities of UN politics weigh heavily against him. UN tradition, and the informal regional rotation principle, is currently favouring Latin American candidates. The current field is stacked with seasoned technocrats and global figures such as Michelle Bachelet, a two-time president of Chile and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights; Rafael Grossi, a consensus-oriented diplomat with decades of multilateral experience; Rebeca Grynspan, a development economist and veteran international civil servant; and Virginia Gamba, a UN insider with years of experience in children and armed conflict and genocide prevention roles. All of them are well fluent in English, deeply familiar with the UN’s internal workings, and enjoy broad global recognition. In comparison, Sall’s strengths are modest. His international exposure is limited, his command of English diplomacy weaker, and his knowledge of UN bureaucratic intricacies less than the other contenders.
In the final analysis, the dynamics of the competition are clear and unkind in that Latin America dominates the field, with four of the five leading candidates hailing from the region, reflecting the UN’s rotation norms. Three of the top contenders are women, signalling a real push to appoint the organisation’s first female secretary general. Historically, the UN tends to favour technocratic, consensus-friendly candidates, precisely the profile that Macky Sall does not match. Even in ignoring African politics, his profile is at odds with both tradition and current trends.
Then there is the elephant in the room about his political record at home. The closing years of Sall’s presidency in Senegal were controversial, to put it mildly. Opposition repression, constitutional manipulations, the deaths of over 80 political protesters, the wounding of hundreds more, and the imprisonment of over 2,000 individuals without charge are now part of the public record. Since the electoral victory of the Pastef government in 2024, Senegalese citizens have been increasingly vocal in demanding accountability. Yet, rather than facing scrutiny, Sall has opted for semi-exile in Morocco with his family, never setting foot back in Senegal, even as legal summonses for his son on alleged financial embezzlement went unanswered. This is not the profile of a statesman seeking international office but the profile of a man trying to rewrite his narrative while comfortably living abroad.
One cannot help but suspect that Sall knew his chances from the start were slim. His candidacy reads less like an earnest bid for the UN and more like a carefully staged performance, a chance to polish a tarnished reputation, maintain relevance, and perhaps lay the groundwork for a political comeback in the 2029 Senegalese presidential election. In short, the UN race appears to have been co-opted into a domestic image-management campaign, with the global stage serving as a convenient backdrop for personal political drama.
The early hype of “Africa’s candidate” has now all but evaporated. Sall’s candidacy is a study in optics over reality and an attempt to manufacture legitimacy through procedural ambiguity, a diplomatic misfire softened by media spin, and a personal stunt that masks the unpalatable truth. Rather than being the continent’s right choice I believe he is structurally disadvantaged by global norms, and domestically he is a man in exile with a complicated legacy. The UN race, meanwhile, is already gravitating toward a Latin American, and likely a female candidate, leaving Sall to play the role of an observer rather than a serious contender.
In the end, what this saga reveals is not African ambition but African misreading of international realities, a cautionary tale of the dangers of image politics, and a reminder that global diplomacy is unforgiving to those who overestimate flamboyance and underestimate substance. If anything, I think Sall’s brief flirtation with the UN is less about international service and more about keeping his name alive for a potential return to Senegalese politics, a spectacle the continent, and indeed the world, can watch with equal parts in amusement and disbelief.
Lt Colonel Samsudeen Sarr (Rtd) is a former Commander of The Gambia National Army, author and diplomat.
