2020 in Senegal

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Decades:	2000s 2010s 2020s
See also:	Other events of 2020 Timeline of Senegalese history

Events in the year 2020 in Senegal.

Incumbents

• President: Macky Sall (since April 2, 2012) [1]
• Prime Minister: Mahammed Dionne

Events

January

• January 8 – West Africa's largest wind farm opens in Taiba NDiaye, Tivaouane Department.[2]
• January 9 – Soccer player Sadio Mané (Liverpool F.C.) apologizes for missing a planned January 11 at the Museum of Black Civilisations in Dakar after being named the African Footballer of the Year.[3]
• January 14 – Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, president of the Senegalese Olympic Committee, promises Dakar will be ready to host the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics.[4]
• January 15
  • Senegalese-born American rapper Akon (Locked Up) announces that plans for his new city, called "Akon City" and located near the Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport have been finalized. The new city will trade exclusively in his digital coin Akoin.[5]
  • The office of Karamba Diaby, who was born in Marsassoum Arrondissement, in Sédhiou Region, a member of Bundestag (English: Parliament) from Halle (Saale), Saxony-Anhalt, and a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, is shot at.[6]
• January 23 – Cuties ((in French): "Mignonnes"), a film by French director of Senegalese descent Maïmouna Doucouré, premiers at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It goes on to win the Directing Jury Award.[7]

February

• February 2 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces a trip to Senegal this week.[8]
• February 6 – President Macky Sall said earlier this week that Senegal could not match "big countries" in organizing emergency evacuations from China in relation to the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, pointing to the charter flights, medical personnel and quarantine facilities necessary for such an operation.[9]
• February 8 – President Sall is awarded the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize.[10]
• February 12 – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau criticizes Senegal's criminalization of homosexuality during a visit with President Sall; Sall says, 'we’re comfortable with our laws.'[11]
• February 14 – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrives in Dakar for an official visit.[12]
• February 20 – 29: 2020 African Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament, Diamniadio, Senegal

March

• March 11
  • The Pasteur Institute of Dakar and DiaTropix team up with Mologic, a British biotech firm, to develop “point of need” test kits that can diagnose COVID-19 in 10 minutes.[13]
  • 20,500 Dakar residents petition to make the former airport into a park.[14]
• March 15 – Senegal imposes travel restrictions, bans cruise ships, and closes schools for three weeks in response to the coronavirus. They also ban public gatherings for a month including Muslim and Christian pilgrimages.[15]

April

• April 14 – Hundreds of street children and teenagers are forced to a refuge north of Dakar as fear of COVID-19 spreads.[16]

May

• May 12 – The government eases restrictions one day after COVID-19 infections increase by 30%.[17]
• May 27 – Senegal unilaterally ends its tax agreement with Mauritius.[18]
• May 28 – June 28: 14th Dak'Art fair with the theme I'Ndaffa/Forger/Out of Fire (a trilingual take on the word "forge" in Serer, French and English) at the IFAN Museum of African Arts in Dakar [19]
• June 2 – COVID-19 pandemic: Educational authorities decide against reopening high schools for 550,000 children after a cluster of coronavirus infections is detected among teachers in the Ziguinchor Region, Casamance.[20]
• June 3 – COVID-19 pandemic: Protests against the government's handling of the pandemic break out in Dakar, Touba, and Kaolack. Senegal has confirmed almost 4,000 cases of COVID-19, including 45 deaths, and thousands are unemployed.[21]
• July 8 – International air flights restart.[22]
• July 31 – Tabaski, public holiday[23] A shortage of sheep is reported.[24]

August

• August 21 – Senegalese authorities request the removal of 2,700 tons of ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) from the port of Dakar. The request for the removal of the ammonium nitrate, a chemical which is used to make fertilizer, comes following the deadly 2020 Beirut explosion, which involved the ignition of ammonium nitrate. The shipment is destined for Mali, but the border is closed because of the 2020 Malian coup d'état.[25]
• September 1 – R&B singer Akon, 47, lays the first stone for the US$6 billion village of Mbodiene south of Dakar.[26]

September

• September 16 – Lamine Diack, 87, former director of the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), is condemned to four years of prison and fined €500,000 for allowing Russian doping at the Olympics. His son, Papa Massata Diack, who is refuged in Senegal, was sentenced to five years and fined €1 million.[27]

October

• October 29 – 140 migrants drown when a boat from M'Bour that was bound for the Canary Islands capsizes near Saint-Louis.[28] The national government and the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) dispatched a mission to assess needs and provide assistance to survivors. It is the deadliest shipwreck recorded so far in 2020.[29]

November

• November 15 – Senegal becomes the first to qualify for the 2022 African Nations Championship.[30]

December

• December 8 – A court in Mbour sentences Mamadou Lamine Faye and two other men for paying smugglers to illegally take their sons by sea to Spain. Faye's son died en route, one of 500 migrants who have died while trying to reach the Canary Islands, and the judge said he hoped to deter others.[31]

Scheduled and predicted events

Further information: Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and List of events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic

• April (TBA): The Cathedral of Saint Louis, the first Christian Church in West Africa, located in the city of Saint-Louis, Senegal, is scheduled to reopen after being closed for repairs in November 2018.[32]
• October 5 – Grand Magal of Touba, public holiday[23]
• October 29 – Mawlid, public holiday[23]
• November 1 – All Saints' Day, public holiday[23]
• December 25 – Christmas Day, public holiday[23]

Culture

• January 23 – Cuties ((in French): "Mignonnes"), a film by French director of Senegalese descent Maïmouna Doucouré, premiers at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. It goes on to win the Directing Jury Award.[7][33]
• May 22 – A Wolof-language television show called The Virus is used to provide information about the COVID-19 pandemic.[34]

Deaths

• January 17 – Charles Carrère, 91, poet[35]
• March 27 – Jacques F. Acar, 88, Senegalese-born French doctor[36]
• March 31 – Pape Diouf, 68, journalist.[37]
• July 3 – Mamadou Bamba Ndiaye, 71, politician.[38]
• July 21 – Cheikh Sadibou Fall, 69, politician, Minister of the Interior (2004).[39]
• August 4 – Moustapha Sourang, 71, politician.[40]
• August 5 – Senegalese murdered in arson in Denver, Colorado: Djibril Diol, 29; Adja Diol, 23; Kadidia Diol, 2; Hassan Diol; and Hawa Beye, infant.[41]
• August 31
  • John Felagha, 26, Nigerian footballer (Eupen) dies in Senegal.[42]
  • Édouard Karemera, 69, Rwandan politician and convicted war criminal dies in Dakar.[43]
  • Jean Baptiste Mendy, 57, Senegalese-born French boxer, WBC Lightweight Champion (1996–1997), pancreatic cancer.[44]
• October 31 – Iba Der Thiam, 83, politician, vice-president of the National Assembly (2001–2012).[45]
• November 27 – Madieng Khary Dieng, 88, politician, Minister of the Interior (1991–1993).[46]
• November 29 – Papa Bouba Diop, 42, footballer (Fulham, Portsmouth, national team); complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.[47]

See also

• 2020 in West Africa
• 2020 in politics and government
• COVID-19 pandemic in Africa
• 2020s
• 2020s in political history
• Politics of Senegal
• National Assembly (Senegal)
• Economic Community of West African States
• African Union
• Community of Sahel–Saharan States

References

1. The World Factbook: Africa: Senegal CIA Library, retrieved 18 Jan 2020
2. "Senegal completes largest wind farm in West Africa". Archdye.com. Jan 8, 2020.
3. Liverpool's Sadio Mane apologises for missing Senegal visit after awards ceremony BBC Sport, 9 Jan 2020
4. Jose Naranjo (16 Jan 2020). "Dakar se pone al día para la primera cita olímpica africana" [Dakar catches up for the first African Olympic event]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Archived from the original on 15 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
5. Amir Vera (14 Jan 2020). "Akon created his own city in Senegal called 'Akon City'". CNN Travel. Archived from the original on 19 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
6. Ana Carbajosa (16 Jan 2020). "El tiroteo a la oficina de un diputado nacido en Senegal sacude Alemania" [Shooting at the office of a deputy born in Senegal shakes Germany]. El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Archived from the original on 17 January 2020. Retrieved 19 January 2020.
7. Hipes, Patrick (February 1, 2020). "Sundance Film Festival Awards: 'Minari' Scores Double Top Honors – The Complete Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
8. Trudeau to visit Ethiopia, Senegal and Germany this week Archived 2020-02-05 at the Wayback Machine CTV News, 2 Feb 2020
9. Africans in Wuhan: Homesick and fearful of coronavirus Archived 2020-02-07 at the Wayback Machine by Clarissa Herrmann, DW (English), 6 Feb 2020
10. "Senegal President Macky Sall and former President of the Lutheran World Federation Bishop Munib A. Younan Selected As the 2020 Sunhak Peace Prize Laureates". allAfrica. Feb 5, 2020. Archived from the original on February 9, 2020. Retrieved Feb 8, 2020.
11. Canadian PM Trudeau raises gay rights with Senegal leader Archived 2020-02-25 at the Wayback Machine By BABACAR DIONE, AP, 12 Feb 2020
12. US secretary of state heads to Africa after long absence Archived 2020-02-15 at the Wayback Machine AP, 14 Feb 2020
13. A Senegalese innovation lab is helping the UK develop a 10-minute coronavirus test kit Archived 2020-03-23 at the Wayback Machine Quartz Africa, 11 March 2020
14. Dakar petitions for 'Central Park' to stem concrete sprawl Archived 2020-03-12 at the Wayback Machine by Elimane NDAO, AFP/Yahoo! News, 11 March 2020
15. Several African nations roll out measures to fight virus Archived 2020-03-26 at the Wayback Machine by MOGOMOTSI MAGOME, Associated Press, 15 March 2020
16. [1] AFP, 14 Apr 2020
17. "Senegal: Govt Eases COVID Restrictions Tuesday, a Day After Surge in Cases". allAfrica.com. 12 May 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
18. Fitzgibbon, Will (27 May 2020). "Mauritius: Senegal Nixes 'Unbalanced' Tax Treaty With Mauritius". allAfrica.com. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
19. Allyssia Alleyne (Dec 27, 2019). "Africa makes a scene: Best contemporary art fairs of 2020". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
20. "Senegal delays reopening schools after new COVID-19 infections". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
21. "Coronavirus protests spread to Senegal's capital". news.yahoo.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
22. "Africa starts opening airspace even as COVID-19 cases climb". ABC News. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
23. "Senegal Public Holidays 2020". PublicHolidays.africa. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
24. Maclean, Ruth (29 July 2020). "For Senegal's Biggest Holiday, a Shortage of the All-Important Sheep". The New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2020.
25. Mwai, Peter. "Senegal seeks to move huge ammonium nitrate stock from Dakar port". news.yahoo.com. BBC Reality check. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
26. Okogba, Emmanuel (2 September 2020). "Senegal: Singer Akon Plans $6bn City in Senegal Homeland". allAfrica.com. Vanguard. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
27. "El expresidente de la IAAF Lamine Diack condenado a cuatro años en Francia". www.msn.com. EFE. Retrieved Sep 16, 2020.
28. Braithwaite, Sharon; McSweeney, Eoin (October 29, 2020). "At least 140 people drown in the deadliest shipwreck of 2020". CNN. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
29. "2020's deadliest shipwreck so far, sees 140 migrants perish off Senegalese coast". UN News. 2020-10-29. Retrieved 2020-11-23.
30. IMRAY, GERALD (November 15, 2020). "Mane leads Senegal to African Cup qualification". msn.com. AP. Retrieved November 15, 2020.
31. PETESCH, CARLEY; DIONE, BABACAR (8 December 2020). "Senegal court sentences fathers for sons' migration attempts". AP NEWS. AP. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
32. El renacimiento del primer templo cristiano en África Occidental Archived 2019-12-27 at the Wayback Machine El Pais (Madrid), 26 Dec 2019
33. "Review: Cuties". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
34. "How a Senegal TV series is fighting coronavirus". aljazeera.com. Al Jazeera. May 22, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
35. Le poète Charles Carrère n'est plus Archived 2020-02-06 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
36. Un grand patron de la microbiologie (in French)
37. "De nombreux joueurs réagissent à la mort de Pape Diouf" [Many players react to the death of Pape Diouf] (in French). March 31, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
38. Le palu emporte Mamadou Bamba Ndiaye, 71 ans, ex-ministre des Affaires religieuses de Wade (in French)
39. Macky Sall : "Cheikh Sadibou Fall était un homme politique engagé, un intellectuel d'une grande civilité" Archived 2020-10-24 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
40. Décès de l'ancien ministre de l'Education nationale, Moustapha Sourang (médias) (in French)
41. "Denver police up reward to $40,000 for information on arson that killed 5 members of Senegalese family". The Denver Post. 9 September 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
42. Nigerian goalkeeper dies in Senegal
43. Un ex-ministre et acteur majeur du génocide rwandais meurt en détention à Dakar (in French)
44. L’ancien champion du monde Jean-Baptiste Mendy s’est éteint Archived 2020-09-02 at the Wayback Machine (in French)
45. Iba Der Thiam n’est plus^[permanent dead link‍] (in French)
46. Décès de l’ancien ministre de l’Intérieur Madieng Khary Dieng (in French)
47. Papa Bouba Diop: Ex-Fulham midfielder dies at 42