President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal has terminated the mandate of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved his entire government, as announced in a televised statement delivered by the presidential secretary-general, Oumar Samba Ba, late Friday evening.
The decree effectively ends Sonko’s role as head of government, along with that of all ministers and state secretaries serving in the administration. According to the official communication, the outgoing cabinet members have been instructed to handle routine administrative tasks until a new government is formed.
Ousmane Sonko, once a vocal critic of former President Macky Sall’s administration, had been barred from running in the February 2024 presidential election due to a conviction for defamation that stripped him of his civil rights. His exclusion triggered widespread protests across the country, fueled by public outrage over potential constitutional manipulation to allow Sall a third term.
Following Sonko’s disqualification, he endorsed his close ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye as an alternative candidate. After Faye’s victory, however, the once-united political alliance began to fracture, with tensions between the two leaders escalating in recent months. Sonko’s considerable influence and charisma had played a pivotal role in propelling the duo to power, but their relationship has since deteriorated.
Sonko, known for his fiery panafricanist rhetoric, had galvanized Senegal’s disillusioned youth ahead of the 2024 election and during prolonged confrontations with the Sall administration. His removal from office has sparked immediate reactions on social media, where supporters gathered outside his home in the Dakar neighborhood of Keur Gorgui, chanting his name in solidarity.
The growing rift between President Faye and the former prime minister had become increasingly visible, casting doubt over the possibility of a stable working relationship between the two. Adding to the political volatility, Sonko’s party commands a dominant majority in the National Assembly following its landslide victory in the November 2024 legislative elections.