In a candid appearance on a national broadcast, Dr Abdourahmane Diouf, Senegal’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum as well as a founding member of the political party KIIRAAY – Les Patriotes Républicains, delivered a scathing critique of the internal turmoil rocking the party Pastef. Speaking during a Sunday evening segment on a widely listened-to program, he outlined what he described as a pattern of betrayal and contradiction within the movement led by Ousmane Sonko.
Dr Diouf did not mince words when addressing the growing rift between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Sonko. He placed full responsibility for the crisis on the shoulders of the party leadership, asserting that the president had always remained true to his commitments. “The Head of State has consistently honored his word and commitments,” the minister stated. “It is Pastef and its leadership that chose to isolate and betray him, rendering his mandate ungovernable.” According to Dr Diouf, President Faye was left with no choice but to act decisively after detecting disloyalty among his political partners—particularly Sonko.
He went on to address former government colleagues who have since distanced themselves from the administration. Dr Diouf reminded them that their departures were voluntary, not imposed, and that by leaving, they stripped the president of the parliamentary majority needed to advance his agenda. “They chose to walk away,” he emphasized. “No one forced them out.”
Looking ahead to the remainder of the presidential term, the minister made a strong case for President Faye to seek a second mandate. This stance, he revealed, was a key factor behind the launch of his own political party. Dr Diouf further condemned what he called the deep contradictions within Pastef, where some leaders publicly criticize the president while claiming moral authority.
“A party cannot claim to stand for loyalty and integrity while simultaneously undermining its own leader,” he argued. “This inconsistency is not only damaging to Pastef but to the broader democratic process in Senegal.”
