Senegal’s President Macky Sall says he won’t stand for a third term

“My long and carefully considered decision is not to be a candidate in the next election,” declared Senegal’s president on July 3rd. That ended years of speculation over whether Macky Sall would seek a constitution-bending third term in next year’s election. It also assuaged fears of more bloody clashes if he did. Alioune Tine of Afrikajom Centre, a think-tank in Dakar, the capital, echoed the feelings of many Senegalese democrats: “It’s a great feeling of deliverance.”Violent protests against Mr Sall began in March 2021 when Ousmane Sonko, a prominent opposition leader, was accused of rape and later arrested. Many protesters believed that Mr Sall was targeting political rivals and wanted to run for a third term. Last month protests spiralled after Mr Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “corruption of youth”, which almost certainly rules him out of the election. At least 37 people have been killed in protests since 2021, many of them shot by security forces, says Amnesty International, a rights group. The fate of Mr Sonko, who is not yet behind bars, could cause ructions. But Mr Sall’s decision greatly reduces the risk of violence.