Mamadou Dia, President of the Council of the Republic of Senegal from 4 April 1960 to 18 December 1962, the forgotten ‘father’ of Senegalese independence
The series of events presented in this timeline of Senegal’s political history since independence is intended to provide the reader with key points of reference to understand the past, present, and future of this country, which is unique in West Africa in more ways than one.
Along with Cabo Verde, Senegal is one of only two West African countries never to have experienced a coup d'état or attempted coup since its independence in 1960. Admittedly, Senegal was not immune to the single-party phenomenon during the Cold War; however, political pluralism was gradually restored some fifteen years before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, when multiple party systems were restored in most other countries in the West African region. Generally speaking, imperfect though it may be, Senegal is a shining example to many other countries in the region when it comes to civil and political rights such as religious freedom, trade union freedom and freedom of the press. In terms of security and peace, despite occasional serious threats to its borders and the long-running internal conflict in the Casamance region, Senegal has managed to maintain a level of stability that is enviable in the region.
However, the country’s system of governance has been undermined since independence by an entrenched presidentialist tradition and its corollary of undue interference in the justice system. The country’s system of governance has been gradually ossified in some respects and corrupted in others, to such an extent that the democratic changes of government achieved in 2000 and 2012 have failed to bring about the changes so eagerly awaited by the country’s people, and particularly its urban youth.
Against a rapidly changing geostrategic and geographical backdrop, and at a time when it is poised to start extracting major mineral resources, Senegal finds itself at a crossroads: it must either reform the current system of governance with a view to meeting the challenges of shared growth and stability, or – owing to a lack of political will, a penchant for copycat behaviour and entrenched routine – maintain the current system of governance by patching up its facade and ultimately triggering a major systemic crisis fraught with unprecedented dangers.
Against a rapidly changing geostrategic and geographical backdrop, and at a time when it is poised to start extracting major mineral resources, Senegal finds itself at a crossroads: it must either reform the current system of governance with a view to meeting the challenges of shared growth and stability, or – owing to a lack of political will, a penchant for copycat behaviour and entrenched routine – maintain the current system of governance by patching up its facade and ultimately triggering a major systemic crisis fraught with unprecedented dangers.
This timeline of Senegal’s political history is
divided into five parts:
A Few Facts About Senegal:
● Official
name: Republic of Senegal. ● Official
language: French.
● Official name: Republic of Senegal. ● Official language: French.
● Surface
area: 196 722 km2. ● National
languages: Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Mandingo, Diola, and
Soninke.
● Population : 18 million in 2023. ● Major
religions: Islam (over 90% of the population), Catholicism,
and traditional religions.
● Capitale : Dakar. ● Currency: CFA franc (pegged to the French franc and,
later, the euro since independence).
● Date
of Independence: 4 April 1960. ● Human Development Index
(HDI) ranking: 170th out of 190 countries in 2022.
This political timeline of Senegal since independence was produced by Initiative on West Africa / Initiative sur l’Afrique de l’ouest (iWA/iAO).
Contact information: initiativewa@gmail.com
© Initiative on West Africa / Initiative sur l’Afrique de l’ouest, 2023. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
