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Senegal: Senegal President Sacks Prime Minister After Growing Power Struggle

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved Senegal’s government after months of tensions within the ruling PASTEF party. The move comes as the country grapples with public debt equal to 132 percent of GDP and stalled talks with the IMF. Supporters gathered outside Sonko’s home in Dakar while the president later named a new prime minister.

By Tertius News AI Desk 6 outlets · 10 articles Version 1 Coverage May 23–25, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government after months of rising tensions between the former allies, according to reports from Africa News, Al Jazeera, AllAfrica, BBC — World, France 24 — English and RFI — English. A presidential decree announcing the decision was read on state television on Friday by aide Oumar Samba Ba, who said Faye had ended Sonko’s duties and those of all ministers and secretaries of state. The outgoing cabinet was instructed to continue handling day-to-day affairs.

The split deepens political uncertainty in a west African nation already under heavy economic strain. Multiple outlets reported that Senegal’s public debt has reached 132 percent of GDP after the International Monetary Fund froze a $1.8 billion lending programme following the discovery of misreported debt figures left by the previous government. Finance Minister Cheikh Diba had told parliament earlier the same day that talks with the IMF were expected to resume in June, with hopes of agreement on key points by the end of the month.

Sonko, a former tax inspector and founder of the African Patriots of Senegal for Labor, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF), responded on social media that he would “sleep with a light heart.” Supporters later rallied outside his home in Dakar. France 24 — English subsequently reported that Faye appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, a former head of the Senegal branch of the BCEAO regional central bank, as the new prime minister.

Coverage Comparison

Coverage across Africa News, Al Jazeera, AllAfrica, BBC — World, France 24 — English and RFI — English aligned closely on the core sequence of events: the televised decree, the dissolution of the full government, and the backdrop of months-long friction inside PASTEF. Africa News and France 24 — English emphasised the constitutional reality that the president holds the power to dismiss the head of government by simple decree, underscoring that Faye retains formal authority despite Sonko’s popular base. Al Jazeera and BBC — World placed heavier weight on the debt figures and the risk that political instability could delay a new IMF arrangement. AllAfrica and RFI — English highlighted public disagreements over economic policy and IMF negotiations, as well as Sonko’s earlier threat to withdraw PASTEF from government and return to opposition if the president departed from the party’s agenda.

Several outlets traced the unusual origins of the partnership. Sonko was barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election because of a defamation conviction and instead backed fellow PASTEF member Faye, whose first-round victory was widely linked to Sonko’s support. Faye then appointed Sonko prime minister. Africa News noted Sonko’s long-standing anti-corruption profile and the fervent youth following sometimes described as “Sonkomania,” while Al Jazeera reported that both men are former tax officials who were jailed ahead of the 2024 vote and released shortly before the rescheduled contest.

Street-level reaction received particular attention from Africa News, which quoted Dakar residents offering sharply different assessments—some welcoming the dismissal as a path back to stability, others calling it unsettling and a distraction from job creation. Al Jazeera reported that supporters of the ousted prime minister gathered outside his residence. France 24 — English alone among the sources detailed the subsequent appointment of Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo.

Key Claims

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government, as reported by Africa News, Al Jazeera, AllAfrica, BBC — World, France 24 — English and RFI — English.
Senegal’s public debt has reached 132 percent of GDP, according to Al Jazeera, BBC — World and related reporting tied to IMF assessments.
The IMF froze a $1.8 billion lending programme after authorities uncovered misreported debt hidden by the previous government, as reported by Al Jazeera and AllAfrica.
Tensions between Faye and Sonko had grown over disagreements on economic policy and IMF negotiations, according to AllAfrica, RFI — English and France 24 — English.
Sonko had previously threatened to pull PASTEF out of government and return to opposition if Faye departed from the party’s agenda, as reported by AllAfrica and France 24 — English.
Sonko was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election due to a defamation conviction and later backed Faye, who appointed him prime minister, according to Africa News, Al Jazeera and RFI — English.
Sonko retains a passionate following among Senegal’s disaffected youth, a point carried across Africa News, Al Jazeera, BBC — World and France 24 — English.
Faye later appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as prime minister, according to France 24 — English.
In a social-media post after the announcement, Sonko said he would sleep with a “light heart,” as reported by RFI — English and BBC — World.

Perspectives

Presidential side: Aide Oumar Samba Ba, reading the decree on state media, framed the decision as ending Sonko’s duties and those of the entire government. Reporting cited criticism of Sonko’s “excessive personalisation” within PASTEF and the president’s earlier warning that he could dismiss the prime minister if he no longer had confidence in him.

Ousmane Sonko: The former prime minister cast the outcome as a release, writing that he would sleep with a light heart. Hours before the dismissal he told parliament he was “not a prime minister who blindly obeys and agrees to everything,” and he had earlier accused Faye of a “failure of leadership” for insufficiently defending him against critics. He had also warned he could take PASTEF into opposition if the president strayed from the party agenda.

Dakar residents: Africa News recorded divided local reactions. Supporter Ibrahima Dione said the move was expected and accused Faye of immature behaviour, while Modou Diaw called the sudden announcement unsettling and argued the country needs jobs rather than political conflict. Thierno Sow defended the president’s prerogative to appoint and dismiss, saying many Senegalese had been waiting for the decision if it served the country’s good.

Academic assessment: Maurice Soudieck Dione, a professor of political science at Gaston-Berger University, warned that Sonko’s firing raises the possibility of a power struggle between the president and a figure whose party dominates parliament, with local elections in 2027 and the presidential contest in 2029 on the horizon.