Ousmane Sonko has sharply criticised Donald Trump over the United States–Israel conflict involving Iran.
Speaking on Thursday at an international sovereignty conference in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, Sonko accused the U.S. president of disrupting global stability without achieving meaningful outcomes.
He argued that efforts to limit Iran’s ballistic missile capacity had failed, and that attempts to compel Tehran to abandon its nuclear programmes both civilian and military had not been successful.
According to him, none of the stated goals had been realised, yet the international community has been thrown into turmoil that cannot be justified. He further described Trump not as a peacemaker but as a figure contributing to global destabilisation.
The event was organised in Dakar by French political scientist Pascal Boniface, who noted that the global system is undergoing a major transformation driven by the rise of the Global South and its push for equal standing in international affairs.
Boniface argued that Western countries have not lost their wealth or influence, but rather their exclusive control over them. He added that global governance should reflect equality, where all nations have a seat at the table rather than being marginalised or given limited participation.
Sonko, meanwhile, urged African countries to strengthen unity and combine their influence to increase their global impact.
He also highlighted Africa’s young population as a key resource, describing it as a powerful force that must be mobilised, stressing that true sovereignty cannot be achieved without youth participation.