By Adonis Byemelwa
Macky Sall’s emergence as a candidate for United Nations Secretary-General has attracted attention not just because of the timing he chose, but also because it raises questions about process, representation and Africa’s collective diplomacy.
In fact, and despite initial reports to the contrary, his candidacy is not officially endorsed by the African Union (A.U.), a discrepancy between perception and actual institutional procedure.
Sall’s nomination was communicated by letter, dated 2 March 2026, from Burundi’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, addressed to various leaders in the General Assembly and Security Council.
Sall was proposed in his individual capacity by Burundi, which presently chairs the A.U. Assembly. That distinction is important, diplomats who are versed in A.U. procedures say: The role of A.U. chair does not grant authority to dip a finger into the stream and unilaterally designate a continental candidate for an international post.
Typically, under A.U. rules, candidatures for senior positions in international organisations are subject to a multi-stage process designed to reach consensus among the member-states.
Nominations are first submitted to the A.U. Commission and then vetted by regional blocs of which they are members, as well as the Permanent Representatives Committee.
Submissions are assessed by a ministerial committee on candidatures, which then submits recommendations to the Executive Council for endorsement. Such a process has been previously leveraged to secure the African backing for candidates running at the helm of other multilateral agencies.
Sall was not included in the most recent report of that ministerial committee, which met at an A.U. Assembly weeks before his nomination was sent to the UN. Officials and analysts say that it would indicate his candidacy never underwent the A.U.’s formal endorsement process; the organisation, however, has not publicly released any statements specifically speaking to his bid.
The lack of a unified stance comes at a time when African states have tried to dodge splintered candidacies in marquee global races. Diplomats argue that a united endorsement could bolster the continent’s negotiating position, especially in a selection process ultimately determined by the United Nations Security Council, where permanent members can make a decisive impact. The current secretary-general, António Guterres, was appointed after such discussions.
Sall’s backers would argue that pre-emptive positioning and bilateral courtship are normal parts of international campaigns, particularly in crowded fields where timing and exposure count.
Nor is it unusual for a candidate to gain endorsement from individual states before seeking wider regional or continental support. Burundi’s nomination could then be viewed more as a start than an assertion of united African support.
Meanwhile, at the same time, confusion over Sall’s status highlights a communication gap that threatens to complicate Africa’s external messaging. Some media reports referred to him as the A.U.’s “official candidate,” a description not supported by publicly available documentation.
Such discrepancies, even when unintentional, generate uncertainty, not necessarily a bad thing in its own right, among both African states and their international partners as to where consensus exists, analysts said.
The episode also highlights a larger tension between formal multilateral processes and the realities of political strategy. Its institutional mechanisms are supposed to guard against risks of opacity and exclusion, but they can be slow.
There may be other routes to mobilise building momentum for candidates, especially if the timing of global appointments does not match regional decision-making cycles.
For now, Sall is a nominated candidate supported by a member state in possession of the A.U.’s rotating chair, but without formal endorsement from the continental body itself. It is unclear whether he would seek that endorsement or move through parallel diplomatic channels.
What is clear is that the difference between a nomination in one country and support from all countries on the continent goes beyond procedure; it shapes both justifications for individual candidacies and coherence of Africa’s voice in global governance.
