Latest Senegal News

Senegal's ruling party poised for parliamentary majority in boost for reform agenda

Nov. 18, 2024 06:39 AM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal ruling PASTEF party is poised to win a parliamentary majority as main opposition leaders conceded defeat Monday in elections determining whether newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye can carry out ambitious reforms he promised during his campaign. ...

Senegal votes in election that will decide if president can carry out the reforms he promised

Nov. 17, 2024 16:16 PM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Polls closed in Senegal on Sunday for a parliamentary election set to determine whether the country’s newly elected president can carry out ambitious reforms. More than 7 million registered voters in the West African country were choosing 165 lawmakers in...

Senegal enters last day of tense campaign ahead of key legislative election

Nov. 15, 2024 06:01 AM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Politicians in Senegal wrapped up a tense electoral campaign on Friday ahead of a key legislative election this weekend that's set to determine if the country's newly-elected president can carry out ambitious reforms. Voters in Senegal will on Sunday choose...

The EU says it won't renew a fishing agreement with Senegal criticized by many in the country

Nov. 12, 2024 20:32 PM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The European Union will not renew a fishing agreement with Senegal that has been criticized by many Senegalese, the EU delegation in the West African country announced Tuesday. The decision comes after the EU identified Senegal as a “non-cooperating country"...

At an art festival in Dakar, artists from both sides of the Atlantic examine the legacy of slavery

Nov. 08, 2024 11:46 AM EST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — A whirlwind of color and art at the opening of this year's Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art in the Senegalese capital stood in stark contrast to the serious topic of slavery featuring in the artworks of guest artists from the United States. The U.S....

Senegalese women take aim at polluting countries in march for climate justice

Nov. 02, 2024 18:03 PM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — About 50 Senegalese women climate activists hit the streets of Dakar Saturday to demand climate justice ahead of COP29 in a march held annually since 2021, but that organizers say is particularly pertinent this year. Participants yelled “Down with...

In Senegal, the bastion of the region's Francophonie, French is giving way to local languages

Oct. 04, 2024 11:20 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — For decades Senegal, a former French colony in West Africa, has been touted as the bastion of the French language in the region. Leopold Sedar Senghor, the country’s first president and a poet, is considered one of the founding fathers of the concept of Francophonie, a...

Book Review: Ta-Nehisi Coates visits Senegal, South Carolina and the Middle East for 'The Message'

Oct. 01, 2024 10:39 AM EDT

Ta-Nehisi Coates always writes with a purpose, so naming his latest collection “The Message” is nothing if not on-brand. But what’s the actual message? Consisting of three pieces of non-fiction, the book is part memoir, part travelogue, and part writing primer. It covers his recent trips to...

At least 30 bodies found on a boat along a migrant route off Senegal

Sep. 23, 2024 11:47 AM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — At least 30 bodies were found on a boat drifting off the coast of Senegal’s capital, the military said Monday, as the number of migrants leaving West Africa increases. The navy was informed of the vessel's presence on Sunday evening and sent out a boat...

Senegal's president dissolves parliament to call a snap legislative election

Sep. 12, 2024 22:07 PM EDT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved the opposition-led parliament on Thursday, paving the way for a snap legislative election six months after he was voted in on an anti-establishment platform. The new election will take place Nov. 17, Faye...