In an exclusive interview with RFI and France 24, the President of the Republic of Senegal Macky Sall talks about the Covid-19 pandemic, which is progressing in Africa. He announces that a third victim is to be deplored in his country and affirms that this very low mortality rate - in comparison with the other affected countries in Europe, in the United States and in Asia -, as well as the high recovery rate of patients patients with coronavirus in his country are not an underestimation, but the result of an early hospital management of all cases and the systematic use of chloroquine, usually used against malaria.

The Senegalese president affirms that the controversies surrounding this treatment and his defender, Professor Didier Raoult, do not have to be, given the positive results of its application against Covid-19 in Senegal.

Stressing his concern over so-called "community" transmissions, he did not rule out going towards total containment of the country and, firstly, extending the duration of the night curfew.

Regarding the G20's decision to apply a moratorium on the payment of the debt of the poorest countries this year, the Senegalese head of state welcomes this "preliminary G20 effort", but considers that it cannot be as a first step. It thus demands the outright cancellation of the African public debt, which amounts to 365 billion dollars.

>> Read: Emmanuel Macron wants to "help" Africa by "massively canceling" its debt

Asked about the suspicion of favoritism in the distribution of food aid against Mansour Faye, his brother-in-law and minister, Macky Sall rebelled and announced that foreign aid would be supervised by a steering committee.

Finally, the Senegalese head of state specifies that the former Chadian president Hissène Habré, sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, and placed under house arrest for two months for fear that he might contract the coronavirus, will return to prison well at the end of the pandemic.        

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