Burundi last month nominated former Senegalese president Macky Sall to succeed United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres, whose second and final term ends on December 31, 2026. In a vision statement for the role, Sall said the UN needs reform, streamlining and modernization.
Senegal, however, told the African Union (AU) it “has not, at any stage, endorsed” the nomination and is not associated with Burundi’s initiative. The candidacy also lacks full AU backing: roughly 20 AU member states — including South Africa, Algeria, Rwanda, Liberia and Senegal — registered objections.
How the nomination unfolded
On March 2, while holding the AU’s rotating chairmanship, Burundi sent Sall’s nomination in a letter to the president of the UN General Assembly. The South Africa–based Institute for Security Studies (ISS) said that submission blurred the line between a national nomination and a continental endorsement, since AU procedures require formal review by designated committees before the executive council can endorse a candidate by consensus or a two‑thirds vote.
After questions and objections from member states, Burundi reintroduced the nomination on March 26 using the AU’s silence procedure, which gives member states 24 hours to object or approve. That mechanism is often used to adopt decisions if no formal objections are raised, but by the close of business on March 27 about 20 AU members had “broken the silence,” effectively blocking adoption of the draft decision.
Why many countries objected
Several governments said AU rules were bypassed. Rwanda’s foreign ministry publicly criticized the process, calling the Burundian chair’s push a serious breach of procedure; Rwanda’s foreign minister described the move on X as excessive and disrespectful of AU norms. Nigeria’s mission to the AU also broke the silence, arguing the established procedures and principles were not followed and reiterating that the African group should refrain from contesting the UN secretary‑general post — saying it is the turn of Latin America and the Caribbean under the time‑honored principle of continental rotation.
ISS researcher Djiby Sow said the silence procedure did not allow the in‑depth evaluation of candidacies that the AU’s established process provides, denying member states adequate time for discussion on a matter of this importance.
What comes next
Even without formal AU endorsement, Sall remains eligible: individual UN member states can still support and vote for him. He joins three other announced candidates for the post starting January 1, 2027 — Rebeca Grynspan (former vice‑president of Costa Rica), Rafael Grossi (director general of the IAEA) and former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet. Member states are scheduled to interview candidates in the second half of April.