Mame Mbaye Niang: “Why Macky Sall withdrew from the UN race”

Mame Mbaye Niang said on TikTok that Macky Sall withdrew from the race for UN secretary-general because of the balance of power on the Security Council and the risk of a veto by a permanent member. The withdrawal was announced after the informal vote on October 16, 2026, and consultations with Burundi’s president and African Union chair Évariste Ndayishimiye, and Senegalese president and ECOWAS chair Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye. Niang said Sall was unwilling to compromise his principles to win the support of major powers. He also cited tensions among Russia, European countries and the United States, as well as disagreements over the next secretary-general’s profile.