Foreign
Senegal Talks Rule Out Presidential Vote Before Sall’s Term Expires
Political crisis talks called by Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Tuesday reached a “broad consensus” that the presidential vote he postponed could not be held before his mandate ends on April 2, multiple participants told AFP.
Sall’s two-day “national dialogue” aimed at setting a date for the delayed election also advocated the head of state remain in office beyond the end of his term and until his successor is installed.
The conclusions go firmly against the view of a widespread political and civic movement, which is demanding the poll be held before April 2.
The traditionally stable West African country is grappling with its worst political crisis in decades after Sall’s last-minute deferral of the February 25 election.
The Constitutional Council overturned the delay and Sall on Monday launched two days of talks to set a new date — boycotted by major political and social actors.
Two committees were formed to discuss the election date and the organisation of the period after April 2.
The first committee came to the almost unanimous conclusion that the vote could not be held before April 2, four participants told AFP.
Two participants, Amar Thioune and Mamadou Lamine Mane, even said there was a “broad consensus” that the presidential election could not be held before June 2.
The second committee came to a “broad consensus” in favour of President Sall remaining in office until a successor is sworn in, six participants told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Some taking part in the talks proposed the vote should take place in July, the same sources told AFP, referring to discussions rather than any written document.
The two committees were due to present their conclusions to the president late Tuesday.
No indication was given as to when Sall would then make a decision.
Last week, he said he would set a date “immediately” if there was a consensus.
– ‘Get it over with’ –
The president has previously cast doubt on the feasibility of staging the vote before the end of his term.
On Monday, he proposed that it could be held by the start of the rainy season in June or July.
Sall had reiterated several times in recent days that his mandate would end as planned at the beginning of April.
But on Monday, he left open the possibility of an extension.
“If there’s a consensus, I’m prepared, in the best interests of the nation, to take it upon myself to stay on even if it’s not my choice,” he said.
“It’s not what I want because I’m in a hurry to get it over with and leave,” he added.
The February 3 decision to postpone the presidential election plunged Senegal into turmoil, with four people killed in clashes.
Sall, in power since 2012, said he called off the vote over disputes about the disqualification of potential candidates and fears of a return to unrest as in 2021 and 2023.
The opposition called it a “constitutional coup”.
The Constitutional Council, the top constitutional body, ruled the delay unlawful and called for the vote to be organised “as soon as possible”.
A possible extension of Sall’s term is likely to raise more constitutional concerns.
The Council said on February 15 that Mr Sall was due to leave office on April 2.
– Boycott –
The movement galvanised against the election delay says the president is playing for time, either to benefit his political allies or to remain in power.
Seventeen of the 19 candidates approved by the Constitutional Council to stand in the presidential poll boycotted Sall’s national dialogue, as did the major civil society collective Aar Sunu Election (Protect Our Election).
The collective had called for shutdowns across the country and a general strike on Tuesday, demanding the poll take place before Sall leaves office.
But the call appeared to go largely unheeded in central districts of the capital Dakar.
“We live from day to day, so we can’t afford to go a day without working, otherwise our families won’t eat,” said shopkeeper Saer Dieng, 37.
AFP
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was extending a ceasefire with Iran to give more time for negotiations but would maintain a US naval blockade of the country’s ports.
Trump posted on social media that he would “extend the ceasefire” until Iran came up with a proposal to end the conflict. However, he “directed our military to continue the blockade.”
Trump’s ceasefire extension came hours before it was believed to be set to expire.
It also came as the White House said Vice President JD Vance would not be going to Pakistan for what had been expected to be a second round of peace talks.
“The trip to Pakistan will not be happening today. Any further updates on in-person meetings will be announced by the White House,” a White House official said in a statement.
The US president cast the breakdown in more talks as resulting from Iranian infighting, adding that Pakistan’s leaders had asked him to extend the truce.
“Based on the fact that the government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our attack on the country of Iran until their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” Trump posted on his Truth Social site.
But the blockade of ports on Iran’s coast in the Strait of Hormuz will remain in place, Trump said, while the US military will “in all other respects, remain ready and able.”
The ceasefire, he said, will be extended “until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other.”
US federal prosecutors said Sunday an Iranian national was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran.
Shamim Mafi, 44, is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan,” US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in an X post.
A resident of the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, Mafi “is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in 2016,” the prosecutor said.
Mafi was arrested Saturday and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
The post was accompanied by images of a woman presumed to be Mafi surrounded by federal agents at the airport, a large drone on a tarmac, a woman’s ID image and bundles of cash.
The United Nations recently warned that Sudan is at risk of slipping into “full-scale famine and collapse,” as the war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its fourth year.
The UN Sudan chief, Denise Brown, told AFP Thursday that Sudan is facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, and weapons from outside sources deserve part of the blame.
The UN has repeatedly called on foreign powers to stop fueling the war, but has not accused specific states.
On one side, the Sudanese army has been backed by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and deployed Turkish and Iranian-made drones.
However, most of the blame has been pointed at the United Arab Emirates, which denies evidence that it has funnelled arms to the RSF, who have been accused of genocide.
AFP
United States President Donald Trump has claimed that Iran has agreed to hand over its remaining stockpile of enriched uranium and abandon ambitions for a nuclear weapon, describing negotiations as being on the verge of a major breakthrough.
Speaking to reporters at the White House on Thursday before departing for Las Vegas, Trump said: “We’re very close to making a deal with Iran. We had to make sure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon… They’ve totally agreed to that. They’ve agreed to almost everything.”
He added that Iran had consented to return its enriched uranium, which he has repeatedly called “nuclear dust”, material believed to be buried deep underground following earlier U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“They’ve agreed to give us back the nuclear dust,” Trump stated. He also suggested that the next round of talks could take place over the weekend and expressed uncertainty about whether the current fragile ceasefire would need extension.
The comments come amid efforts to end six weeks of conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted global energy supplies and raised fears over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital chokepoint for oil exports.
However, Iran has not publicly confirmed Trump’s assertions. Multiple reports indicate that Tehran has previously pushed back against similar claims, describing them as exaggerated.
Recent direct talks in Islamabad on April 11-12 collapsed without agreement, with core disputes remaining over the future of uranium enrichment inside Iran and the removal of existing stockpiles.
The White House has been discussing a possible second round of negotiations in Pakistan, with officials expressing optimism.
A U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, adding pressure on Tehran.
Analysts caution that any final deal would require strict verification mechanisms, especially given the deeply buried nature of the material in question.
For Nigeria and other oil-producing nations, progress toward de-escalation could help stabilise crude prices, which have spiked due to fears of prolonged disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.
A lasting agreement might also open the door for sanctions relief on Iran, potentially shifting global energy dynamics.
Trump has maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a non-negotiable red line, while offering the prospect of broader regional stability in return for Iranian concessions.
No immediate reaction from Iranian officials was available as of press time. Further developments are expected in the coming days as diplomatic channels continue.
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