Tensions erupting into a definitive split: President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal dismissed his former ally and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on May 22, ending a partnership that had reshaped the nation’s political landscape since April 2024.
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The slogan « Diomaye Moy Sonko » (« Diomaye is Sonko » in Wolof) has finally faded away. The once-unbreakable alliance between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko—who rose to power in April 2024 in defiance of outgoing leader Macky Sall—has collapsed amid deepening rifts.
Sonko’s disqualification from the presidential race due to a defamation conviction and the loss of his civic rights left him unable to run. He strategically backed Faye’s candidacy, assuming he could maintain influence while holding the premiership himself. Together for over a decade within the PASTEF party—*Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité*—the two men had never publicly disagreed. Yet, just two years into their shared governance, their partnership unraveled.
What began as a political symbiosis rooted in mutual ambition and ideological alignment has now dissolved into open conflict. The abrupt dismissal of Sonko marks the end of an era that promised sweeping reforms but instead delivered political turbulence for Senegal.
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