International News
Senegal’s Sall Leaves Open Date For Delayed Presidential Election
Senegal’s outgoing President Macky Sall on Thursday said his mandate would end as planned on April 2, but left open the date of the presidential election which he postponed earlier this month.
Sall had faced a growing clamour to set a date for the vote after his abrupt delay to the February 25 election triggered weeks of political crisis.
“On 2 April 2024, my mission ends at the head of Senegal”, the president said.
“As far as the date is concerned, we’ll see what the dialogue comes up with,” he said during a televised press interview, referring to the political dialogue he intends to conduct from Monday.
“The election can be held before or after 2 April,” he said.
But asked whether the election could be held between now and April 2, he replied “I don’t think so.”
Sall had announced the election delay hours before official campaigning was due to begin, with parliament backing the move, despite strong opposition, and then setting a new election date for mid-December.
The opposition denounced Sall’s move as a “constitutional coup”, saying his party feared defeat at the ballot box.
The delay plunged the traditionally stable West African country into its worst political crisis in decades and sparked unrest that has left four people dead.
Adding to the uncertainty, the top constitutional body last week overturned the delay and called for the vote to be organised “as soon as possible”.
Sall said that he would “without delay carry out the consultations necessary” to do so.
The president called during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting for “all the arrangements” to be made “for the presidential election to be organised well on a date which will be set very soon”, according to the presidency.
‘Dialogue’
Sall also said he wanted “dialogue” to calm tensions and asked the justice ministry to finish drawing up draft legislation to follow through on “the will for reconciliation and forgiveness”.
Hundreds of detained opposition and civil society members were released last week.
However, civil society groups have called another rally for Saturday in the capital Dakar to keep up the pressure, after mobilising several thousand people last weekend.
Imprisoned opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, who is among 19 contenders for the presidency, on Wednesday accused Sall of dragging his feet.
His criticism echoed that of most of the other candidates who accused Sall in a joint statement of “ill will”.
Faye said in a statement he would only agree to talks on setting an election date “without delay” and before the end of Sall’s term.
Faye is deputy to anti-establishment firebrand Ousmane Sonko, who is also in prison.
The national youth coordinator for Sonko’s dissolved political party, Ngagne Demba Toure, was imprisoned on Thursday after being arrested a day earlier, according to one of his lawyers Moussa Sarr.
Sarr said his client had been charged with “criminal association in connection with a terrorist undertaking”, “attacks and plots in connection with a terrorist undertaking” and “offence to the head of state”.
Sall, who has been in power since 2012, said he called off the vote over disputes about the disqualification of potential candidates and concern about a return to unrest seen in 2021 and last year.
The opposition accuses him of trying to remain in office, though Sall has repeatedly said he will not stand for a third term.
The coalition supporting the candidate of the president’s party, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, called on its leaders Wednesday to mobilise voters for a first-round win regardless of when the vote is held.
The recent political turmoil prompted concern from Senegal’s international partners.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said Thursday it hoped for a “speedy resolution and to ensure continued stability and economic progress in the country”.
AFP
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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