Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye issued a late-night decree on Friday dismissing Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolving his government, after months of reported friction within the alliance that won the 2024 election.
Government Secretary-General Oumar Samba Ba read out the decree on state television.
“By decree number 2026-1128 of May 22, 2026, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, has terminated the duties of Mr Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister, and consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state members of the government. The outgoing government members are tasked with handling current affairs,” announced the secretary.
The decree did not specify the appointment of a new prime minister or government.
Sonko responded to his dismissal in a social media post, reading, “Praise be to Allah. Tonight I will sleep light-hearted in the city of Keur Gorgui.”
Tensions between Faye and Sonko’s government had reportedly been building for months over control of the party apparatus, the course of macroeconomic policy, and the distribution of lucrative state contracts.
The outgoing prime minister had previously formed an opposition alliance with Faye for the 2024 elections, after he was barred from running over defamation and insurrection charges, which he denied. Faye went on to defeat then-President Macky Sall, marking a major shift in Senegal’s political landscape. Enditem
Source: Viory, UAE
