Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced Friday evening the termination of his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s tenure. This decision follows months of escalating tensions between the two political allies, who ascended to power in April 2024 on a wave of immense popular hope.

In an official statement broadcast on national television by Presidential Secretary-General Oumar Samba Ba, the president declared that he had “ended the functions of Mr. Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister, and consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government.”

The statement further specified that “the members of the outgoing government are tasked with handling current affairs.” No immediate details were provided regarding the appointment of a new Prime Minister.

Since President Faye’s election, the relationship between him and his former mentor, the charismatic Prime Minister Sonko, has been increasingly strained. Sonko’s considerable influence was instrumental in propelling the duo to power.

A staunch critic of former President Macky Sall (2012-2024), Ousmane Sonko was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election due to a defamation conviction that resulted in the loss of his civil rights. Subsequently, Mr. Sonko designated Bassirou Diomaye Faye as his replacement in the electoral race.

With a powerful pan-Africanist message, Ousmane Sonko garnered passionate support among Senegal’s disillusioned youth in the lead-up to the election. This followed months of confrontation with Macky Sall’s administration, which had violently suppressed demonstrations against Sonko and against the possibility of Sall seeking a third term.

Having just been released from prison under an amnesty law designed to ease years of political unrest, both men campaigned under the slogan “Diomaye Moy Sonko,” meaning “Diomaye is Sonko” in Wolof.

“Alhamdoulillah. Tonight I will sleep with a light heart in Keur Gorgui city,” Mr. Sonko immediately posted on his Facebook account, referring to his Dakar residence.

Journalists observed hundreds of Sonko’s supporters converging on his home Friday evening to cheer him following the announcement of his removal from government.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister had publicly denounced what he called the “tyranny” of the West, which he claimed sought to “impose (homosexuality) on the rest of the world.” This statement was made before Parliament, just weeks after a new law was passed in the predominantly Muslim West African nation, stiffening penalties against homosexual relations.

For several months, the growing friction between the head of state and the head of government had become openly apparent, making their continued collaboration increasingly uncertain.

At the beginning of the month, President Faye had criticized his Prime Minister’s “excessive personalization” within the ruling party.

“As long as he remains Prime Minister, it is because he benefits from my confidence. When that is no longer the case, there will be a new Prime Minister,” President Faye had stated in a televised interview.

Mr. Sonko’s party holds a significant majority in the Senegalese National Assembly, having won the legislative elections in November 2024 by an overwhelming margin.

Weeks ago, Parliament paved the way for Ousmane Sonko’s potential candidacy in the next presidential election in 2029 by adopting an electoral code reform, which was subsequently promulgated by the President. Opposition groups, however, criticized this law as being tailored to benefit Mr. Sonko.

In July 2025, Senegal’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal by Mr. Sonko, who was then Prime Minister since April 2024, against his conviction, reigniting debates about his eligibility.

Nevertheless, Mr. Sonko was elected as a deputy in the November 2024 legislative elections before resigning from his mandate to remain Prime Minister. His party asserts that this makes him eligible. Local elections are scheduled for 2027, followed by a presidential election in 2029.

President Faye, while not commanding the same popular enthusiasm as the Pastef leader, has been steadily consolidating support over recent months through the “Diomaye Président” movement, hinting at a possible presidential bid in 2029.

Since taking office, the country’s leaders have grappled with a challenging economic landscape, inheriting a substantial debt from the previous government. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), this debt amounts to 132% of its GDP, positioning Senegal as the second most indebted country in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2024, the new government, formed after the opposition’s electoral victory, accused the administration of former President Macky Sall of concealing the true extent of this worrying budgetary situation, which led to the suspension of an IMF aid program worth 1.8 billion dollars.