Senegal’s President Faye sacks PM Sonko and dissolves government

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government, a move that risks deepening uncertainty in a country grappling with a debt crisis and ⁠ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

A statement read out by a presidential aide on state media on Friday informed the nation that all ministers were dismissed, with the outgoing government tasked with handling day-to-day affairs.

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The decision follows months of growing tensions between Faye and Sonko. Sonko, a charismatic figure with a strong youth following, had backed Faye in the 2024 election after being barred from running himself due to a defamation conviction, but the two allies became increasingly estranged.

The split comes as Senegal faces mounting economic pressure. The IMF froze a $1.8bn lending programme following ‌the discovery of misreported debt hidden by the previous government, pushing the country’s end-2024 debt level to 132 percent of its economic output.

Faye’s move raises the risk of further delays in reaching a new agreement with the IMF.

Earlier on Friday, before Sonko’s dismissal, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba told parliament that the government expects to resume talks with the IMF in the week of June 8 and hopes to reach an agreement on key points by June 30.

Sonko was a popular opposition leader under the previous administration of President Macky Sall, whose decision to delay the 2024 election spurred unrest.

Both Faye and Sonko are former tax officials who ⁠were jailed ahead of the 2024 election. They were released 10 days before the rescheduled contest, which Faye went on to win with 54 percent of the vote.

Faye then appointed Sonko as prime minister.

Now that ⁠Sonko is out of that job, it is unclear what his next steps will ⁠be. In March, he said he would be willing to take his Pastef party out of the government and return to opposition if Faye departed from the party’s agenda.

Pastef dominates the National Assembly, meaning it could complicate governance and the passage of reforms needed to secure IMF support. Last ‌month, politicians overwhelmingly approved electoral code changes that could pave the way for Sonko to run for president in 2029.