France and Senegal: The End of the Affair?

Links between Senegal and France go back more than three centuries. Senegal was France's oldest colony in black Africa, and the two countries have maintained the close ties developed during the colonial period since political independence in 1960. The article argues that decolonization in fact reinforced the ties between Senegal and France, rather than the opposite, and that this "special relationship" is only now changing. Senegal has recently begun to diversify its foreign relations, both within Africa and elsewhere. President Abdoulaye Wade, who won the 2000 presidential election and whose party now controls the government, has sought closer relations notably with Washington but also with London. As one of the leading promoters of the New Partnership for African Development, Wade has also sought to build stronger links within Africa, particularly with South Africa and Nigeria. The days of the Franco-Senegalese "special relationship" appear to be numbered.