The ’48 hours of Pastef’ event in Touba became the platform for Ousmane Sonko to once again challenge President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, reigniting their underlying disagreements concerning the management of the presidential ‘caisse noire’. In a robust defense of his party’s financial practices, the Pastef leader emphasized that his organization, by principle, does not rely on state resources to fund its various activities.

“Pastef is not a party that draws from state coffers to finance its programs. That is forbidden (haram) for us,” he declared to an assembly of his supporters. This statement directly referenced the ongoing dispute between the two prominent figures regarding the presidential discretionary fund. For several weeks, Ousmane Sonko has been vocal in his opposition to the fund’s existence, arguing that it contradicts the principles of transparency that both he and President Faye championed prior to their ascent to power.

While in Touba, and without explicitly naming the head of state, Sonko strongly implied that these public resources could potentially be used to consolidate a political base in anticipation of upcoming electoral contests. He reiterated Pastef’s commitment to prioritizing membership fees and contributions from its activists as its primary funding sources. The president of Pastef also took aim at critics who have questioned the remarkable success of his party’s membership card sales campaign. Referring to certain political figures as ‘bitter’ or ‘resentful’, he delivered a powerful message in Wolof: “s’il n’y a pas de mort, dina am blessé,” an evocative idiom suggesting that his political adversaries will not emerge unscathed as Pastef continues to gain influence and momentum.