Opposition leaders have reacted to Senegal President Macky Sall's decision that he will not run in the 2024 presidential election, claiming that it was due to popular pressure.

A member of parliament and Pastef Abass Fall, the party of key opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, said it came as no surprise:

"What would have surprised us is if Macky Sall had declared his candidacy for 2024. We all know that he wanted to... unfortunately for him, the pressure was such that he had no choice but to respect the constitution, which he himself cited several times, which he had voted in 2016."

Former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, who is currently in opposition, claimed Mr Sall's decision to obey the constitution was due to the "mobilisation of Senegalese democrats" both locally and in the diaspora:

“No one was prepared to accept the democratic regression he envisaged. So, in desperation, he respects the Constitution. If he had done so much sooner, we wouldn't be where we are today,” she said.

She said 16 people had been killed in protes"s "and the commission of inquiry will have to tell us who the masterminds were and who the others were”.

A former trade minister and leader of the ruling Alliance pour la République party, Aminata Assome Diatta, has however described the moment as "historic".

"Today is a historic date, and more than in the past, the President of the Republic has shown the world that politics can go hand in hand with ethics," she said.