Senegal country profile

Long considered one of Africa’s model democracies, the west African nation of Senegal has a tradition of stable governments and civilian rule.

Slaves, ivory and gold were exported from the coast during the 17th and 18th Centuries, and now the economy is based on agriculture. The money sent home by Senegalese living abroad is a key source of revenue.

Hundreds of Senegalese were killed in a separatist conflict in the southern region of Casamance, but violence lessened after a 2014 ceasefire. The country’s stability has allowed it to send peacekeeping troops to DR Congo, Liberia and Kosovo.

In February 2024, President Macky Sall plunging the country into a crisis when he postponed presidential elections, amid what some saw as a threat to one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa.

However, an election was held in March 2024, with opposition politician Bassirou Diomaye Faye – who had only just been released from jail – winning the poll to become Africa’s youngest elected president.

By BBC