A unique political arrangement, once hailed across francophone sub-Saharan Africa, proved too fragile to endure. In Senegal, the formidable partnership between Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who had united for the 2024 presidential election, dramatically unraveled on the night of May 22, 2026. What began as a powerful alliance transformed into a public struggle, culminating in a decisive break.
Indeed, just before 10 PM on that Friday, May 22, the Senegalese populace was taken aback by a brief address broadcast on the Radiotélévision sénégalaise (RTS) from the Presidential Palace in Dakar. Oumar Samba Ba, the Secretary General of the Presidency, announced the immediate dismissal of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. Concurrently, all members of the government were relieved of their duties.
“By decree n°2026-1128 of May 22, 2026, the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has terminated the functions of 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,” Oumar Samba Ba declared.
Upon learning of his dismissal, Ousmane Sonko promptly responded via social media, stating, “Tonight, I will sleep with a light heart.”
Only hours earlier, while addressing questions from deputies in the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko had asserted, “I am not a Prime Minister who blindly obeys and acquiesces to everything.”
It is important to recall that tensions had visibly mounted over recent months between the two executive leaders, who assumed power in 2024. Their political disagreements had become increasingly apparent. For instance, weeks prior, during a meeting with local media, Bassirou Diomaye Faye had indicated, among other things, that he could “terminate the functions of his Prime Minister as soon as he no longer had confidence in him.” The line, it seems, was definitively crossed that evening.
The question now remains how political power will evolve in Senegal, especially with the next local elections not anticipated until 2027, and the presidential election scheduled for 2029.
