Senegal is once again at the centre of a political storm after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye moved to dismiss Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolve the cabinet entirely, marking the most dramatic escalation yet in a months-long power struggle that has tested the West African nation’s young democracy.
The decree, announced on national television on Thursday, came after weeks of intensifying tensions between Faye and Sonko, once close allies who rode a wave of anti-establishment sentiment to victory in last year’s elections. The fallout has left Senegal’s political landscape in disarray just months before the nation was expected to hold legislative polls.
The Feud That Wasn’t Supposed to Happen
When Faye and Sonko swept to power in March 2024, many Senegalese hoped the pair would bring a new era of clean governance and radical reform. Both had been imprisoned under former President Macky Sall and were freed just weeks before the vote in a last-minute political concession that reshaped the race.
That alliance has now shattered. Sources close to the presidency say the breaking point came after Sonko refused to back the government’s 2026 budget proposal, which included a slate of tax reforms aimed at broadening the revenue base. Sonko publicly described the measures as “punitive” for ordinary Senegalese — a characterization the president rejected as a betrayal of their shared platform.
The parliament, where Faye’s party lacks an absolute majority, became a battleground. Sonko directed his party faithful to vote against provisions that the government said were essential to keeping Senegal’s IMF programme on track. The resulting parliamentary deadlock lasted eleven weeks.
A Government in Limbo
Faye’s decree dissolves Sonko’s cabinet effective immediately. The prime minister has been instructed to manage current affairs until a new government is sworn in, though no timeline has been given for that appointment. The president has not named a replacement or signalled the political direction he intends to take.
Political observers say the dissolution raises serious questions about governance continuity. Senegal is in the middle of negotiations with the IMF over a new extended fund facility, and international partners will be watching closely to see whether the political upheaval affects fiscal commitments already made.
“The risk is that donors and creditors see this as instability,” said one Dakar-based economist who asked not to be named. “Senegal has been a model for the region. That reputation is now at stake.”
Regional Implications
West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS has issued a statement calling for calm and urging all parties to respect democratic norms. The statement stopped short of direct criticism but noted that Senegal’s stability matters for the entire subregion, which has seen a wave of military coups and constitutional crises in recent years.
Internally, the split has left Sonko’s Pastef party divided. Several senior figures have publicly broken with Sonko, saying they remain loyal to the president. At least two cabinet ministers who had been aligned with Sonko have already been appointed to acting roles in the caretaker government — a sign that Faye is moving quickly to consolidate authority.
The streets of Dakar were calm in the hours after the announcement. The national police said they were deploying additional units to key intersections as a precautionary measure, though there were no reports of unrest by evening.
Senegal’s constitution gives the president authority to dissolve the government and request a new prime minister to form a cabinet. The move is within legal bounds, but its political consequences are likely to unfold for months.