Although Senegal is unlikely to qualify for full BRICS membership, it could emerge as a potential BRICS partner country in the first place.

In addition to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, the BRICS group has also included Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates as full members since January 2024. Indonesia has also officially joined BRICS.

After a presidential election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in as President of Senegal in April 2024. The year 2025 was also marked by the president’s intention to reshape the country’s foreign policy.

In early January, the Senegalese president announced that the country intends to eliminate all foreign military presence by 2025 and announced the closure of all military bases in Senegal by September 2025.

Senegal, with a strategic shift, moving away from the long-standing political, economic, and military dominance of France in West Africa, is reassessing military relations with France and seeing the expansion of relations with BRICS members as a path to balanced development and diversification of its alliances.

Meanwhile, the country, which has been one of France’s strategic allies in Africa since independence and for decades, is gradually distancing itself from the West and entering a new era, and embracing multipolarity.

In addition, Dakar’s inclination towards BRICS is a balancing act or a real shift towards a multipolar world, redefining and enhancing its geopolitical and strategic position.

Now, apart from its active participation in several regional and international organizations, including the United Nations, the African Union, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Senegal has also tried to play an important role within the framework of the Economic Community of West African States........

© New Eastern Outlook