Diomaye Faye visits Macron: the inside story of a trip that raises questions

Two months separate the last meeting between the Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. This meeting took place last September in New York, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

As part of a partnership presented as a relationship of equals, Emmanuel Macron was expected in Dakar at the end of October for an official visit. This occasion was supposed to translate into concrete action the much-vaunted diplomatic reciprocity so often emphasized in speeches.

But this trip ultimately never materialized. Losing legitimacy on the domestic political scene and facing a social crisis that further weakened his power, the French president cited the tensions shaking the former colonial power to justify the cancellation of the Dakar meeting.

This argument, while raising questions, seems to prioritize Paris's political and social difficulties over a diplomatic commitment that had already been announced. This justification appears all the less convincing given that the French president continued his travels in the Gulf at the end of October despite the crisis.

But perhaps the most striking aspect of this story is the role reversal that has once again taken place between the two capitals. Instead of asserting himself, it is Bassirou Diomaye Faye who is once again heading to Paris to reach the Élysée Palace.

Seeing the Senegalese president make the trip so often, the scene almost gives the impression of a son being obliged to visit his father, whereas the stated principle is that of a partnership between two sovereign and equal states.

Beyond this diplomatic paradox, this visit comes at a particularly delicate political time for the Senegalese head of state. Like his French counterpart, whose authority is increasingly challenged, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is also seeing his position weaken in the National Assembly.

The rejection, on November 3, of the 2026 supplementary budget bill represents a serious setback for the government. This is compounded by the difficulties surrounding the 2027 budget bill, the withdrawal of which has been requested by the Finance Committee of the National Assembly.

Under these conditions, the presence of the Senegalese president in Paris raises a political question: Did Bassirou Diomaye Faye come to seek some support from his master to face his political opponent, Ousmane Sonko, his former Prime Minister?

The question deserves to be asked, as trips to the Élysée Palace seem to multiply as soon as power falters in the former French colonies in Africa.

Cheick Omar Ouedraogo