In Lambaye, Cheikh Ndiaye announces departure from APR for UDP-Kiiraay

Cheikh Ndiaye, described as a former mayor of Lambaye and former director-general of CICES, announced that he had left the Alliance for the Republic (APR) to join the Union for Democracy and Progress (UDP-Kiiraay), led by Birima Mangara.

The announcement was made on Monday in Lambaye, at a meeting during which Birima Mangara welcomed the move. Cheikh Ndiaye, who described himself as a founding member of the APR, explained his departure by citing “personal reasons”.

A defection announced in Lambaye

The departure comes amid a local political realignment mentioned by the source. Birima Mangara welcomed the former mayor into his party, while calling on political leaders to show greater restraint and respect towards citizens.

He said political actors should not use the public as a means of achieving their objectives.

Economic concerns and reform proposals

Asked about the economic situation, Birima Mangara said the country was going through a difficult period. He specifically reacted to a Moody’s decision which the source dates to 28 August 2026 and describes as a downgrade of Senegal’s sovereign rating from “Caa1” to “Caa2”.

This ratings information is reported as part of his remarks and is not supported by another source in the available material. Birima Mangara nevertheless said he remained hopeful, citing, according to his statements, the experience of officials at the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Planning in discussions with the IMF and the World Bank.

To address the difficulties he cited, he advocated revising how the state operates, adopting a different approach to subsidies and reforming the model of certain state-owned companies, including Senelec.