(FILES) Senegal Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko (L) hands over to Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye (R) the official report on the Thiaroye massacre during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Dakar, on October 16, 2025. Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Friday sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government after months of tensions, deepening a crisis in the debt-laden west African nation. The shock announcement was made on state television in a decree read out by presidential aide Oumar Samba Ba, who said Faye "has ended the duties of Ousmane Sonko... and consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government". (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)
political tensions grow in Senegal as sonko and faye drift apart
The dismissal of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has set the stage for a new power struggle in Dakar.
The alliance between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko once symbolized unity in Senegal. Their 2024 campaign slogan « Diomaye Moy Sonko » (« Diomaye is Sonko ») captured their inseparable bond. Yet today, their partnership has collapsed under the weight of political rivalries, governance challenges, and the country’s financial woes.
After being removed from office on May 22, Sonko swiftly returned to the National Assembly as a lawmaker. His rapid ascent culminated in his election as Speaker, making him the second-highest-ranking official in Senegal—and the president’s most formidable opponent.
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