Various NGOs operating in Senegal have called on President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to deport Israel’s Dakar Ambassador Ben Bourgel and impose sanctions on Israel.
A joint letter addressed to President Faye was drafted by 19 NGOs, including the International Amnesty Senegal Office, the Coalition of Senegalese for the Palestinian Cause, the Senegal-Palestine Committee, and the Senegal Human Rights League.
In the letter, shared with the local press, it was reminded that Senegal was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine and to grant a diplomatic passport to Yasser Arafat.
Highlighting Senegal’s continuous presidency of the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People since 1975, the letter emphasized Senegal’s clear stance on the Palestinian issue.
In light of this information, the letter called for Senegal to indefinitely suspend diplomatic relations with Israel, review agreements with Israel, and deport Ambassador Bourgel.
Additionally, President Faye was recommended to seek support for South Africa, which has filed a genocide case against Israel, from the African Union’s decision-making body, the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko also expressed his desire for Senegal to support South Africa’s genocide case against Israel over the weekend.
- Historical friendship between Senegal and Palestine
Senegal’s ties with Palestine date back to the 1960s, following its independence from France.
Senegal’s first President, Leopold Sedar Senghor, known for his support for Palestinian independence, participated in mediation missions in Israel on behalf of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) alongside his counterparts from Nigeria, Cameroon, and the then-Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Senegal has been presiding over the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People since 1975 without interruption.
As one of the first African countries to allow Palestine to open a diplomatic mission in its territory in 1989, Senegal is also among the first countries to grant a diplomatic passport to former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
During Senghor’s presidency, Senegal severed all diplomatic relations with Israel following the Arab-Israeli war in 1973 until 1992, establishing itself as Palestine’s closest friend in Africa.