On March 27, 2026, media reports indicated that the AU had decided not to support Macky Sall’s candidacy due to procedural violations.
Amb. Nduhungirehe, Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, has explained that the 20 AU member states who broke their silence were not rejecting any candidacy but rather opposing the flawed procedure initiated by President Ndayishimiye, which ignored AU rules governing international nominations.
“What happened today at the African Union is a stark reminder that leadership matters. It’s unbelievable to note that a whole continental organisation can be tarnished or driven into a crisis by its own Chairperson, who is in office for not even two months,” Nduhungirehe posted on X .
The nomination process for the UN Secretary-General can be initiated by any country or group of countries, but the nominee need not necessarily be from the country that submits the candidacy.
On March 2, 2026, the Permanent Representative of Burundi to the UN notified the General Assembly that the Burundian government serving as current Chair of the African Union nominated Macky Sall, former President of Senegal, for the position.
“This submission of an African candidature to the position of UN Secretary General came as a surprise to all African Heads of State and Government, as none of them was consulted by the AU Chairperson before taking this important decision,” Nduhungirehe emphasized.
After the nomination, President Ndayishimiye attempted to pressure fellow African leaders into endorsing his decision by imposing a 24-hour “silence procedure.”
According to Amb. Nduhungirehe, Ndayishimiye convened the AU Bureau, where only two other members participated, and gave African governments 24 hours to approve or reject the nomination either by silence or by response.
“In other words, President Ndayishimiye, instead of calling an AU meeting for advice on the right procedure, chose to give his fellow AU Heads of State and Government only 24 hours to either endorse, by keeping silent, an AU decision that ‘EXPRESSES ITS FIRM SUPPORT to the President of the Republic of Burundi, H.E. Evariste Ndayishimiye, Chairperson of the AU for 2026, for having presented the candidacy of President Macky Sall […] for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations,’ or to reject it by breaking the silence,” Amb. Nduhungirehe added.
This authoritarian approach was too much for many AU member states, which responded by breaking their silence and blocking the decision. They reminded Ndayishimiye that the AU must be governed by the rule of law.
Despite the damage to the AU’s international reputation, Nduhungirehe hopes this incident will serve as a lesson for future appointments of AU Chairpersons.
The new UN Secretary-General will begin their term in January 2027. Any candidate must be nominated by a country or group of countries, and it is not a requirement for the candidate to come from the country making the nomination. This means that Burundi could have nominated Macky Sall on their own behalf, but the actions of Ndayishimiye caused a stir within the AU.
While it is not always followed strictly, UN leadership positions are generally rotated among different regions of the world, and there is growing support for the idea that it is time for a woman to lead the UN.
Other candidates who have submitted their nominations for the position include Michelle Bachelet, former President of Chile; Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency; Rebeca Grynspan, former Vice President of Costa Rica; and Virginia Gamba from Argentina.
Since Ndayishimiye took over the AU chairmanship, analysts have criticized his leadership, questioning his ability to address the pressing challenges facing Africa, such as the ongoing war in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Burundi is involved in the conflict.
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