Those in power who have always dreamed of getting France “out of the way” will have to come to their senses. Not only is France well-established in the hearts of the Senegalese, in the image of Mélenchon and Sonko, but it also opens its doors wide to our leaders who, in the image of Diomaye Faye, will be making several visits to the country of Marianne, Macron and Le Pen, at the invitation of the country’s authorities. Before that, he will have had time to put his binomial to the test by travelling to Conakry tomorrow.

It’s fair to say that, since taking office, President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye hasn’t had much time to devote to the country, unless this is a division of labour decided with his deputy… or party leader (?), Ousmane Sonko. We know that the latter announced his intention to devote his first international visits to the African countries he considers his ideological allies, namely the four countries ruled by military putschists in West Africa. These are General Doumbouya’s Guinea, Colonel Goïta’s Mali, Captain Traoré’s Burkina Faso, and General Tiani’s Niger.

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Apart from the Pastef “people”, Senegalese public opinion did not fail to be moved by this choice, wondering what proximity there could be between soldiers who came to power through more or less bloody coups of force, and leaders who won their battle by a very comfortable majority, giving them the legitimacy to rule their country quietly for at least 5 years.

While we wait for an answer to this question, we realize that even Ousmane Sonko’s travel schedule is being monopolized by the Head of State. Bassirou Diomaye Faye has taken Ousmane Sonko by surprise and is heading for Praia today, before continuing on to Conakry tomorrow. Even if this stopover was scheduled by the Prime Minister, it is understandable that the Head of State should go there first, as it would be a return of courtesy to someone who took part in the installation ceremony of the newly-elected Senegalese Head of State, as all the world’s televisions pointed out.

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While waiting to schedule a trip to Bamako, we can nevertheless say that President Faye will have been in line with Senghor’s diplomacy of concentric circles, visiting the majority of our neighbours and closest allies in the sub-region. So, it’s only natural that his agenda should include scheduled trips to our closest political and economic ally in the world, France. France is an essential country in our proximity policy and diplomacy.

France after Africa 

On June 20, the President of the Republic is due to travel to France to attend a meeting on Gavi, which, as everyone knows, is an international alliance whose aim is to facilitate and accelerate access to vaccines and immunization in African countries, especially for small children. On the side-lines of this meeting, the Senegalese Head of State is scheduled to have a tête-à-tête with French President Emmanuel Macron. This will undoubtedly be an opportunity for the two men to get to know each other better and to discuss issues concerning both countries.

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This first trip will be followed by another a few days later, in July, when Diomaye Faye is due to travel to Paris for a summit on sport, convened by President Macron, to be held as a prelude to the Olympic Games. He will remain there, according to his schedule, to attend the official opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Jo. Another opportunity for him to meet his compatriot Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, President of the Cnoss and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Youth Olympic Games, Dakar 2026. The latter, as a member of the Cio, will also be taking part in the opening ceremony.

On his return from the Games, Diomaye will be preparing another trip in November to the land of Macron and Mélenchon. This time, he will take part in the Francophone Summit in Villers-Cotterêts, not far from Paris. In other words, during the second half of 2024, Diomaye Faye and Macron won’t be leaving each other much. They will have more than one opportunity to clarify their political and ideological positions, and to consign to history the “France Dégage!” battle cry of some Pastef members linked to Frapp.

On this subject, well-informed individuals tell us that during the audience granted by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to the French ambassador, Mrs Christine Fages dutifully pointed out to Ousmane Sonko that, contrary to statements made by Pastef officials, all French companies established in Senegal regularly meet their tax obligations. He was even told that French companies’ tax revenues exceed 20%. Ousmane Sonko readily acknowledged this, but sought to downplay the significance of his supporters’ statements, telling the ambassador that the information had no impact on Senegalese opinion, proving that truths change according to political positions.

By Mohamed GUEYE / mgueye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH