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Senegal's President Fires PM Sonko, Dissolves Government

The dismissal follows months of tensions over debt policy and party control, as Senegal faces a $1.8 billion IMF lending freeze.

  • On Friday, Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye terminated Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, dissolving the government and dismissing all ministers. Secretary general Oumar Samba Ba announced the decision on state media.
  • The dismissal follows months of mounting friction between the former allies, who rode to power together after defeating the previous ruling party. Sonko backed Faye in the 2024 election after being barred from running himself.
  • Sonko pursued an aggressive anti-establishment agenda, revoking 71 mining licenses and auditing resource deals. He opposed restructuring the $13 billion debt, clashing with the International Monetary Fund, which froze its $1.8 billion lending program.
  • Following the announcement, Sonko wrote on social media, "Tonight I will sleep with a light heart in the Keur Gorgui neighbourhood," a reference to his private residence. The outgoing government remains responsible for current affairs.
  • Senegal now faces significant uncertainty as debt levels reach 132% of economic output amid a broader debt crisis. The political split risks reigniting unrest in the West African nation as it navigates mounting economic pressures.
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Center

Divorce takes place between the Senegalese Head of State and Ousmane Sonko, plunging the country into a period of major political uncertainty.

·France
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Lean Left

The President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, dismissed on Friday his Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, and his entire government, a decision that presupposes the rupture of the duo that came to power in March 2024 with the promise to transform the country. For a year now, Faye and Sonko had led a long series of disagreements that allowed to glimpse a political divorce now consummated because they both aspire to be presidential candidates in 202…

·Spain
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Xinhua broke the news in China on Friday, May 22, 2026.
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