Senegalese president meets Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah in Nouakchott
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye held talks with Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah, chairman of the UAE Council for Fatwa and president of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace, during a Nouakchott stopover.
Talks underscore UAE–Senegal ties and shared focus on African peacebuilding
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of the Republic of Senegal met Sheikh Abdullah bin Bayyah in Nouakchott on 18 September during a stopover on his return from Abu Dhabi to Dakar. Sheikh Abdullah is chairman of the UAE Council for Fatwa and president of the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace.
The two discussed the promotion of peace and coexistence, and the strengthening of the role played by religious and intellectual leaders in preventing conflict and countering extremism. The conversation also addressed supporting wider efforts to advance stability and development across the African continent.
Nouakchott is home to the headquarters of the African Conference for the Promotion of Peace, which is chaired by Sheikh Abdullah. The conference brings together political, religious and intellectual figures to advance African approaches to peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
The meeting follows President Faye’s visit to Abu Dhabi earlier in his journey, reflecting growing relations between the United Arab Emirates and Senegal. WAM reports that the encounter is notable for its emphasis on collaboration between state leaders and faith-based and intellectual institutions in confronting security and development challenges in Africa.
Sheikh Abdullah’s dual role — as chairman of the UAE Council for Fatwa and as president of an Abu Dhabi-based forum dedicated to peace — highlights the involvement of Abu Dhabi-based institutions in international dialogues on mediation and conflict prevention. The exchange in Nouakchott reiterates the UAE’s engagement with African partners on shared priorities such as stability, social cohesion and deradicalisation.
While the meeting took place in Mauritania’s capital, its participants and themes draw a direct line to Abu Dhabi through Sheikh Abdullah’s institutional leadership. Officials described the visit as reinforcing bilateral bonds and mutual commitments to supporting African-led solutions to conflict and development challenges.
The visit adds to a pattern of diplomatic activity involving Abu Dhabi institutions and African states, underscoring the role of interfaith and intellectual networks in complementing governmental efforts to promote peace across the region.
Source: https://www.wam.ae/en/article/c2b4tfd-president-senegal-visits-uae-council-for-fatwa