Updated March 18, 2019
Senegal
U.S.-Senegal ties have long been warm, underpinned by
Figure 1. Senegal at a Glance
U.S. development aid, appreciation for Senegalese
democracy, and security cooperation to confront regional
challenges. Senegal has never experienced a military coup
and exhibits a relatively free press and civil society.
Tensions rose, however, in connection with presidential
elections held on February 24, 2019, as top opposition
contenders were disqualified from running. Local activist
groups also came under increased state regulatory pressure.
President Macky Sall was ultimately reelected with 58% of
the vote, averting a runoff; opposition candidates stated that
they rejected the results but declined to challenge them in
court. Sall’s first term lasted seven years, but a 2016
constitutional referendum shortened the term to five.
Poverty remains widespread despite recent growth, and
Senegal has been a disproportionate source of illicit (and
often dangerous) migration to Europe. A separatist conflict

in the southern Casamance region has also impeded local
Source: CRS graphic. Data from CIA World Factbook + IMF (2018).
development, but violence has dropped in recent years.

Foreign Relations
Politics
Senegal maintains close relations with Western donors—
President Sall has prioritized economic reforms and peace
especially former colonial power France and the United
talks in Casamance. He has struggled, however, to meet
States. Over the past two decades, Senegalese leaders have
expectations of rapid job creation and retain a cohesive
also pursued expanded ties with China and Arab Gulf
political coalition. Sall was first elected in 2012, defeating
states. Relations with Iran warmed under former President
Abdoulaye Wade (a former mentor), whose attempt to run
Wade, but Senegal cut ties between 2011 and 2013 after
for what would have been a third term provoked unrest.
accusing Iran of shipping arms to Casamance rebels. In
Sall’s victory and Wade’s peaceful concession ultimately
2015, Senegal pledged to deploy troops to Saudi Arabia-led
quelled concerns about Senegal’s democratic credentials.
military operations in Yemen, but it has yet to do so.
New concerns arose regarding the appearance of political
In 2016, Israel, which had cultivated growing ties with
influence over the 2019 election process.
Senegal, recalled its ambassador and halted aid due to
Sall faced four challengers in the February polls, including
Security Council Resolution 2334 (regarding Israeli
former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck and political
settlements), which Senegal cosponsored. President Sall
newcomer/anticorruption activist Ousmane Sonko. The
and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced
Constitutional Council rejected at least 22 other candidates.
in mid-2017 that they had overcome the rift.
The two most prominent—Karim Wade, son of former
In 2017, Senegal played a key role in ousting the erratic and
president Abdoulaye Wade, and Khalifa Sall, the former
authoritarian leader of neighboring Gambia, Yahya
elected mayor of Dakar (no relation to the president)—were
Jammeh, in favor of a democratically elected successor,
barred because of prior corruption convictions. Some critics
Adama Barrow. Senegalese troops remain deployed in
view these as politically motivated; former president Wade
Gambia under a regional mandate. Senegal’s interests are
called for a vote boycott. Karim Wade has been in exile
partly driven by past Gambian support for Casamance
since President Sall ordered his release from jail in 2016,
rebels under Jammeh.
while Khalifa Sall has been jailed since 2017. Other
candidates were deemed ineligible because they had not
The Economy
obtained the requisite number of citizen signatures required
Although Dakar is large and economically vibrant, Senegal
under a controversial new election law enacted in 2018.
is largely agrarian, with limited natural resources, arable
Legislative elections in 2012 and 2017 delivered large
land, and fresh water. More than a third of the population
majorities to Sall’s coalition. The elections were broadly
lives in poverty, and recent strong economic growth has not
viewed as free and fair, although the U.S. State Department
substantially lowered this rate. The country is heavily
noted reports of “significant irregularities” in 2017, as well
reliant on imports for basic foodstuffs and energy supplies.
as “arrests that many perceived as arbitrary and politically
Food insecurity is persistent and widespread, and nutrition
motivated.” Opposition parties had made big gains in 2014
shortfalls contribute to high child and maternal mortality
local elections, including in Dakar.
rates. Socioeconomic discontent drives high rates of
emigration and periodic urban unrest.
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Senegal
Key foreign exchange earners include exports of fish,
Internal Conflict. The separatist conflict in Casamance has
peanuts, and phosphates; tourism; and remittances from
waxed and waned since the early 1980s. The area is
Senegal’s large diaspora. Oil and gas deposits have been
ethnically and religiously distinct and geographically cut
discovered in recent years, but production is not expected to
off from northern Senegal by The Gambia (although a new
begin for several years. Some Senegalese fear that the
bridge spanning the Gambia River may help with
nascent energy sector could fuel corruption and/or debt.
integration). Rebel activity has caused population
displacement and hurt the economy in Casamance, a
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and bilateral
donors have praised Sall’s “Emerging Senegal Plan,” which
potential tourism destination and agricultural breadbasket.
The rebellion has long been internally fragmented, and
pairs increased public investment in infrastructure with
combatants reportedly engage in banditry and trafficking
structural reforms. Average annual economic growth, which
activities. The Sall Administration has pursued peace talks,
stood at 3.4% between 2006 and 2012, rose to 6.1% in the
and violence has decreased since a spike in 2009. The peace
six years since Sall’s election, according to IMF data. The
IMF reported in early 2019 that Senegal’s main challenge
process has received periodic U.S. support.
was sustaining high growth while avoiding large deficits
U.S. Relations and Aid
and “improving the business environment to create jobs for
In a 2018 fact sheet, the State Department characterized
the fast-growing population.” According to the State
Senegal as “an important partner of the United States in
Department’s investment climate statements, “Investors cite
promoting peace and security in Africa.” It also praised
high factor costs, bureaucratic hurdles, inadequate access to
Senegal’s democracy, religious tolerance, and participation
financing, and a rigid labor market as obstacles,” though
“t
in peacekeeping missions. President Obama met with
he government is working to address these problems.”
President Sall twice, at the White House and on a visit to
Security Issues
Senegal, where he lauded President Sall’s “ambitious
reforms ... to strengthen democratic governance.”
Terrorism. Senegal has not suffered a major terrorist attack
on its soil, but it is vulnerable to extremist infiltration and
recruitment. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and
Senegal “shares many fundamental values and international
linked groups such as the Mali-based Group for Supporting
goals with the United States, and it has set an example of
democratic rule as well as ethnic and religious tolerance.” –
Islam and Muslims (known as JNIM after its transliterated
State Department fact sheet, October 31, 2018
Arabic name) have staged attacks in nearby countries,
including recent ones targeting Westerners in Mali, Burkina

Faso, and Côte d’Ivoire. AQIM and JNIM have also
The United States is among Senegal’s top bilateral donors.
threatened to attack countries, such as Senegal, that
The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) agreed
participate in the U.N. peacekeeping operation in Mali;
in December 2018 to provide $550 million over five years
Senegalese soldiers serving in Mali have been killed in
to “increase economic growth and reduce poverty through
attacks. Senegal hosts potential soft targets: its beaches and
improved access to electricity.” Senegal’s government has
cultural sites draw Western tourists, and Dakar is a regional
pledged an additional $50 million to the project. It is
hub for international agencies and diplomats. Commercial
Senegal’s second MCC compact; the first, completed in
airlines fly directly between Dakar and the United States.
2015, provided $540 million for infrastructure to boost
agricultural productivity. U.S. bilateral aid (separate from
The local appeal of extremist Islamist ideology has
MCC funding) totaled $121 million in FY2018 (latest),
historically been considered low. News reports nonetheless
aimed at improving health, education, food security,
suggest that individual Senegalese nationals have joined
economic growth, good governance, and military capacity.
Islamist armed groups in Mali, Nigeria, and farther afield.
The Administration has requested $58 million for Senegal
In 2015, authorities detained dozens of local imams for
in FY2020, in line with its proposals to decrease foreign aid
allegedly supporting terrorism; several were convicted in
2018 of recruiting “foreign fighters” and/or seeking to
worldwide. Senegal is a focus country for the President’s
Malaria Initiative and Feed the Future initiative, both
establish a local Islamic State affiliate. In 2016, authorities
launched under previous Administrations. U.S. regional and
arrested hundreds of people as part of a crackdown related
global programs have provided additional funding, e.g., in
to the Mali and Burkina Faso attacks. In 2017, authorities in
support of counterterrorism and peacekeeping.
Dakar arrested two suspected Islamist foreign fighters with
reported ties to the Côte d’Ivoire attackers.
Growing defense ties are attributable, in part, to Senegal’s
strategic location and military professionalism. The U.S.
Organized Crime. According to the State Department,
Defense Department conducts regular exercises in Senegal
Senegal is a transit point for cocaine trafficking between
and has provided counternarcotics and maritime security
South America and Europe. Cannabis is also cultivated in
aid. In 2016, the two countries signed an agreement to
Casamance for domestic and regional markets. The drug
facilitate U.S. military access to the subregion. The same
trade may leverage networks used to smuggle duty-free
year, the United States transferred two Libyan Guantánamo
cigarettes, counterfeit medications, small arms, and
detainees to Senegal for resettlement. In 2014, Senegal
migrants. Senegalese law enforcement is considered more
hosted a logistics hub for the U.S. military deployment to
effective than in many other West African countries—as is,
help contain the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
arguably, Senegal’s political will to counter drug
trafficking—but resource and capacity shortfalls
Alexis Arieff, Specialist in African Affairs
nonetheless hinder efforts to counter transnational crime.
IF10164
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Senegal


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