Macky Sall withdraws his bid for UN secretary-general after October 16 vote

Macky Sall announced on October 17, 2026, in a statement signed in Marrakech, that he was withdrawing his bid to become UN secretary-general, the day after an informal Security Council vote. He said he hoped to help produce a consensus candidate and had made the decision after consulting Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye. Sall said test votes pointed toward a candidate from Latin America and the Caribbean, possibly a woman. Senegal’s president from 2012 to 2024 and a former African Union chair, he also called for profound changes to the UN and for Africa to keep its voice in global governance.