Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is expected to arrive in Abidjan on Tuesday, May 7th, for a meeting with Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. This marks the fourth country visited by the new head of state since his election on March 24th.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is scheduled to arrive in Abidjan late in the morning for an audience with his Ivorian counterpart Alassane Ouattara, followed by a press briefing. According to the Senegalese presidency, it is described as “a working and friendly visit.”
The two statesmen have not yet met, as it was Vice President Tiémoko Meyliet Koné who represented Côte d’Ivoire at Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s inauguration on April 2nd.
During a visit to Abidjan by former President Macky Sall in October 2023, Alassane Ouattara praised “the personal bonds of friendship” between the two leaders. This time, the Ivorian president, who has been in power for thirteen years, will meet his younger Senegalese counterpart, who has promised a policy of breaking away from the CFA franc and a new, more equitable approach to international relations, particularly with France, the former colonial power.
Since assuming office, this is the fourth country visited by Bassirou Diomaye Faye, after neighboring countries such as Mauritania, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau, all of which are in West Africa.