Amsatou Sow Sidibé

Amsatou Sow Sidibé (born 1953) is an academic, lawyer and politician from Senegal. In 2012, she was the country's first female presidential candidate.

Quotes

• am a woman who has advanced many reforms on behalf of women in Senegal. Amssatou has supported children by creating "SOS right to education" and by helping Senegalese students avoid what would otherwise have been a lost academic year. Amssatou initiated the first national conference, bringing together in an amphitheatre the party in power, the opposition and civil society to reflect on the country's political situation. During this conference, Amssatou called on students to return to their classes.
• The only trigger was the general situation of the country. Senegal is suffering a great sickness. The ship is taking on water on all sides, and men and women alike must use all of their strength to keep it from capsizing. All Senegalese people, of every political persuasion, suffer when legal instruments are rigged and institutions are undermined. What we have seen in recent decades obliges us to dedicate ourselves to serving the Senegalese people. If we fail to act we become complicit. For all of these reasons we have created a citizens movement, because the people, who have not been respected, should have the last word. This movement has captured the interest of many Senegalese people, who for decades have observed that we are not evolving normally and that our rights have steadily eroded. It is because the Senegalese people aspire to break away from the status quo that we have created the Convergence of Actors in Defence of Republican Values "CAR Lenen".
• Women talk about parity everywhere, even in the bush. They bring parity to the leadership and they demand parity. I think it has already been very successful. Several women have considered my candidacy entirely normal, which would not have been the case in earlier times. They say they have always supported men and now that parity has been adopted they often support women. Women know that if a woman is elected their concerns will be better taken into account – a woman who assumes power having been a mother, with boys and girls, and who could never discriminate against either gender.
• President of Convergence of Actors in Defence of Republican Values “C.A.R Lenen”. Candidate in Senegal’s 2012 presidential elections, retrieved on June 21, 2012
• We have observed that there are tensions, we prefer that there be consultation. […] We want there to be consultation, a dialogue around this issue
• Between 2021 and 2024, Senegal went through a delicate phase in its political history. A period characterized by repeated crises and violence stemming from political demonstrations (more than 65 deaths and 1,000 injured, not to mention the massive destruction of public and private property)
  • Amsatou Sow Sidibé calls for consultation on the amnesty law, retrieved on March 27, 2025