How kasala make Senegal President Faye sack Prime Minister Sonko

President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye don sack im Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday 22 May, 2026. Dis move officially end dia collabo for Senegal.

Dis sack mean say President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolve di govment wey leader of Pastef bin dey lead.

As im enta power wit di slogan "Diomaye moy Sonko, Sonko moy Diomaye" ("Diomaye na Sonko, and Sonko na Diomaye"), di two men bin get strong and close political alliance during dia victory ova di candidate of di outgoing president Macky Sall.

But nearly two years afta dem enta power, tensions between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Prime Minister Sonko don becom public.

Di way two of dem dey exercise of power don gradually revealed dia differences wey dey put di head of state against di man wey despite anytin still be di central figure of Pastef.

Ousmane Sonko imsef bin don tok say im fit return to di opposition. For im part, Bassirou Diomaye Faye bin make di Prime Minister continued tenure conditional sake of di confidence wey im get for am, im bin tok say im go replace am any day wey im lose dat confidence.

Di dismissal wey dem bin announce on 22 May formalise di break-up of dis two ogbonge allies wey dia relationship untill now, dey like wetin no go fit break but signs bin don dey show say wahala dey.

Tested partnership wey dey show cracks in power

Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye bin try to remove any tin wey no dey clear about im relationship wit im Prime Minister for one interview wit di local press on Saturday 2 May.

President Faye bin recently acknowledge publicly say disagreements wit di head of state over certain political choices dey.

For im part, Bassirou Diomaye Faye recall say differences don always exist between im and Ousmane Sonko, but so far, dem bin dey manage am responsibly.

However, dis statements bin dey hide di kasala between di two of dem.

Di differences between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and im Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko don begin show well-well.

As President Diomaye Faye announce di appointment of Ms Aminata Touré to restructure di coalition wey bring am to power, di political bureau of PASTEF (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity), wey Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister, dey lead don distance diasef from dis choice, im tok say im"no dey share either di values or di principles" of di pesin wey di president select.

PASTEF tok say President Diomaye Faye "no get di power to dismiss" di pesin wey bin dey hold di post, wey be close associate of Ousmane Sonko.

Diomaye and Sonko enta power for March 2024, and na one coalition wey pipo sabi as Diomaye-Président bin support dem.

Since dem rise to di top of di state, di task of restructuring di coalition land for Ms Aïda Mbodj hand, some pipo dey call her "Sonko mother" becos of her closeness to di leader of PASTEF.

Di position dey highly contested by certain segments of di presidential majority, Aïda Mbodj start di restructuring work, wey lead to di establishment of new entity.

Dis Tuesday, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye thank her and appoint Ms Aminata Touré, wey be former Prime Minister, to carry out di restructuring of di Diomaye-Président coalition.

How to understanding di events wey dey unfold

Di kasala bin start wit one letter wey get 11 November 2025 date, signed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, wia im end di tenure of Ms Aïda Mbodj as di head of di Diomaye-Président coalition, afta e tank her for her commitment during di victory of 24 March 2024.

For di document, Bassirou Diomaye Faye announce di reorganisation of di coalition in order to make am "more efficient and better structured".

He state say di appointed Ms Aminata Touré go lead di process of reviving di coalition activities.

Aminata Touré na former general supervisor of di election campaign within di framework of di Diomaye-Président coalition.

Statements by Sonko for di "Tera meeting"

Dis differences, wey don come into public between President Diomaye Faye and im Prime Minister, dey come three days afta PASTEF' "Tera meeting" of 8 November 2025.

During di large gathering wey hapun for di car park of di Léopold Sédar Senghor stadium for Dakar last Saturday, Ousmane Sonko state say "any restructuring of di Diomaye-Président coalition dem must do am around PASTEF, wey be di majority party and di driving force of di presidential coalition".

Speaking to im supporters, Sonko bin no gree enta into di coalition during di last legislative elections of November 2024, as im prefer to enta alone under di sole banner of PASTEF.

Ousmane Sonko and di party bin win 130 out of di 165 seats for di National Assembly.

"Dis na to prevent," im tok, "allies wey no dey loyal from taking advantage of di parliamentary seats wey dem bin allocate to dem to obstruct PASTEF."

Im also call for certain political figures within majority wey go dey sidelined, but im no name dem. Im cite wetin im describe as cases wey dey involve questionable financial management.

For di statement, PASTEF say e recognise only Ms Aïda Mbodj to continue di work, wey be di restructuring of di presidential majority.

Diomaye–Sonko: di difference asserted and acknowledged

Between President Diomaye Faye and di head of govment, dem bin don acknowledge di differences wey dem get and bin also accept am bifor, and since, dem land at di top of di state.

During di "Tera meeting", Sonko bin tok well-well about dis aspect of dia relationship.

"Wen I chose Bassirou Diomaye Faye as PASTEF candidate for di presidential election, I bin know, im bin know too, say we no dey always agree on evri point. Wen we enta power, wen im bin make me im Prime Minister, Im know, Me sef know say we no dey always agree on evri point," im tok..

Im continue to explain bifor im before supporters wey come in large numbers from all regions of di kontri. Im tok say im no go "be di source of a split with Bassirou Diomaye Faye" and say im know say im too sabi say im " no go want to be di source of any split wey go hapun between two of us."

For many press conferences with tori pipo, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dey always acknowledge say sometimes im dey get differences wit di head of govment.

But im no dey see am as threat. On di contrary, im say im bin want a "veri strong Prime Minister" and im bin want to "strengthen im powers".

To di ones wey tok say Sonko bin dey eye im position, im bin reply say: "I no want am to eye am. I want make im look am well-well. I hope say one day im go siddon for dis chair," im tok as im add say, im "work for ten years to elect Sonko as president without success, and in 10 days, Sonko succeed to get me elected president."

Which consequences wey dia public difference go get for di future of Diomaye–Sonko duo?

Few weeks ago, one ally of di govment, Dr Abdourahmane Diouf, Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development, bin call on President Diomaye Faye to "take im responsibilities and not accept a victor's justice".

Im bin announce during one programme for public radio RTS say im "ready to work wit allies to set up a coalition around di President of di Republic".

PASTEF electoral base bin interpret dis statement as an attempt by certain sections of di govment to isolate di President of di Republic, or even to distance am from Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.

Contacted from Lomé (Togo) by BBC News Afrique, Paul Amegakpo, President of di Tamberma Institute for Governance (ITG), beliv say "dis internal tension within di coalition wey dey currently govern Senegal no be di first".

"Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko dey present imsef as a natural leader of Pastef, wey im be president, and im get di intention to master, control and lead all di coalitions wey fit emerge from Pastef as either an electoral coalition or a governing coalition," di Togolese analyst add.

However, im say, "today, di President of di Republic, Diomaye Faye, also need support wey go make am legitimate and give am di necessary strength to govern Senegal and control di ruling majority".

For am, di Diomaye–Sonko partnership don fallen into wetin dem sabi as di Thucydides Trap.

"In geostrategy, di Thucydides Trap na situation wey a dominant power dey declare war on a lesser power so dat im fit to avoid di situation wia dem go big pass am," im tok.

"And for di current situation within di ruling coalition for Senegal, e reflects di desire by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, wey dey regarded as di natural leader of Pastef and of di ruling coalition, to bring President Diomaye Faye and all di political factions wey dey support am into line."

Di situation fit dey damaging if di kasala worse pass like dis. Di two men must "at all costs avoid any internal crisis within Pastef and di ruling coalition wey fit turn into a political crisis, any governance crisis wey fit harm di hopes wey dis two political figures bin don raise as dem dey power, im concluded.