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Sub Saharan Africa

Senegal

 Flag of Senegal

Map of Senegal Last reviewed: 02 June 2009

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INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Relations with The Gambia have suffered due to disputes over cross-border access. Relations with Guinea-Bissau have improved since the death of former Junta leader Ansumane Mane in 1999, who was thought to have aided the Casamance rebels. The two countries now cooperate closely in dealing with the Casamance rebels.

Senegal pursues an active foreign policy and aspires to represent Africa on the UN Security Council. While France is a close ally for historical reasons, Senegal has also sought allies as far apart as the Middle East and China, and enjoys good relations with the United States, where a large Senegalese community resides. Senegal recognised China in 2005. President Bush included a brief visit to Senegal at the start of his Africa tour in 2003. A number of Senegalese hold high positions in international organisations.

Senegal has a prominent role in Africa. President Wade was instrumental in creating the NEPAD agenda - a plan for the regeneration of the African continent adopted by the African Union in 2001. Although he has criticised it for not doing enough, he remains a key supporter of the project. He has played an important role in promoting that agenda in the wider international community, including at meetings with G8 countries. Senegal has contributed troops to numerous international peacekeeping operations, with significant force presences in Liberia, DR Congo, Darfur and Cote d’Ivoire. Senior Senegalese military are respected across the continent for their role in political and military interventions.

New Partnership for Africa's Development (NePAD)
African Union
ECOWAS

Senegal's Relations with the UK

Senegal and the UK enjoy good relations including frequent consultations on pan-African issues. There is a community of many thousands of Senegalese in the UK There is a growing level of military training cooperation. A significant Royal Marines exercise took place in Senegal in 2005. A UK naval and amphibious exercise took place in Senegal and other West African countries in Autumn 2006. Dakar was used as the Forward Mounting Base for British deployment to Sierra Leone in 2000 and was the evacuation point for British and other foreign nationals. Each year the UK sponsors a small number of scholarships for postgraduate courses in the UK.

Diplomatic Representation

Britain's Ambassador in Senegal is Mr Christopher Trott. There is also a British Council office in Dakar, specialising in English Language Teaching. Senegal is represented in the UK by Ambassador Abdou Sourang.

Recent Visits

Inward

A substantial number of senior members of the Senegalese government have visited the UK in recent years. In 2003 President Wade made two visits to the UK, meeting the Prime Minister, the then Minister for Africa Baroness Amos, addressing a conference on NEPAD at the Royal Institute of International Affairs and delivering a lecture at St Anthony’s college Oxford. President Wade attended the G8 meeting in Gleneagles in Scotland in July 2005.

Outward

In February 2002, then Prime Minister Tony Blair and the then Secretary of State for International Development, Clare Short, visited Senegal as part of a tour of West Africa. Mr Blair was the first British Prime Minister to have visited the country. Baroness Amos, then Foreign Office Minister for Africa, visited in February and April 2002.The Earl of Wessex visited Senegal in early June 2004 in connection with the international Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Paul Boateng, visited Dakar in October 2004 and Hilary Benn, International Development Secretary in November 2004. Both visits were to promote the work of the Commission for Africa. The Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Amos, attended Dakar Agricole in February 2005.

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