Macky Sall's Wikipedia page edited to soften political record ahead of UN Secretary-General bid

Macky Sall, who officially launched his bid for UN leadership in March 2026, saw his English Wikipedia page significantly altered within minutes. Previously, the introduction to his page highlighted criticisms of his presidency, including anti-democratic maneuvers, repression of political opposition, and an attempted constitutional coup. These terms were neutralized on March 5 by a user named MamadouDiallo26.

"Anti-democratic maneuvers" became "governance issues," "repression of the opposition" was changed to "tensions," and the "attempted constitutional coup" was rephrased as "constitutional debates." Four minutes later, the same user prominently added the announcement of Sall's candidacy for UN Secretary-General. While Wikipedia contributors remain anonymous, MamadouDiallo26's activity history shows a focus on Senegalese politics and institutions in the French version of the encyclopedia.

This user created the page for the "Port of Ndayane," a major infrastructure project from Sall's era, in January 2025. An attempt to create an English version of this article was rejected by Wikipedia moderators due to a lack of neutrality and promotional tone. The PassBlue investigation, which analyzed over 335 significant modif