Former Senegalese president Macky Sall has withdrawn his bid to become the next UN secretary-general, leaving Uganda’s Olara Otunnu as Africa’s last remaining candidate in a race increasingly tilting towards Latin America and the Caribbean.

Image: Presidency of the Republic of Senegal

Africa’s hopes of producing the next secretary-general of the United Nations have narrowed following the withdrawal of former Senegalese president Macky Sall, leaving Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu as the continent’s sole remaining candidate for the world’s top diplomatic job.

Sall announced his decision on October 17, a day after the UN Security Council conducted its sixth informal poll of candidates seeking to succeed António Guterres, whose second five-year term ends on December 31, 2026. His withdrawal follows months of uncertainty surrounding his candidacy, which was nominated by Burundi rather than his home country, Senegal.

“Following the October 16, 2026 informal vote for the position of United Nations Secretary-General, and after consultations with Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye, the current chairperson of the African Union, and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the current chairperson of ECOWAS, I have decided to withdraw my candidacy,” Sall said in a statement.

Image Credit: AP/David Kerp

The former president added that he hoped his decision would contribute to the emergence of a consensus candidate within the Security Council. He also acknowledged what he described as an emerging preference for a candidate, potentially a woman, from Latin America and the Caribbean.

That assessment reflects the direction of the contest. Costa Rica’s Rebeca Grynspan has emerged as a leading contender, while Argentina’s Rafael Grossi and Guyana’s Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett have also remained prominent in the race. Yet no candidate has secured the support needed to advance without risking opposition from one of the Security Council’s five permanent members.