APA-Dakar (Senegal) – After receiving his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame, Senegal’s head of state set off on a new West Africa tour on Thursday 16 May.
Almost two months after his election, Senegal’s fifth president is continuing his tour of the countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). After Mauritania, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau
and Côte d’Ivoire, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is expected in Nigeria and Ghana respectively on 16 and 17 May 2024.
The Senegalese leader left Dakar on Thursday for “friendship and working” visits to these countries, which are among the heavyweights of the West African region. This will be an opportunity for President Faye to meet his counterparts Bola Tinubu, current chair of Ecowas, and Nana Akuffo Addo.
These two leaders graced his swearing-in on 2 April, as did the heads of military juntas or their representatives, with whom they have profound differences of approach.
Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and Guinea were sanctioned by the the West African bloc after military officers
seized power in these countries.
For their part, the new Senegalese authorities intend to promote a more open and non-judgmental diplomacy, promoting the strengthening of good neighbourly ties.
So far, however, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has not announced any trips to countries ruled by juntas, preferring instead to visit nations with democratically elected presidents.
However, his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has indicated that he will shortly be visiting countries ruled by transitional military presidents. He explained that he would be making these visits in his capacity as president of PASTEF, a political party that advocates pan-Africanist and sovereign ideas.
ODL/ac/fss/as/APA