President Bassirou Diomaye Faye don sack im Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolve di whole government for Senegal. Dis announcement come on Friday 22 May 2026, just few hours after Sonko don face di National Assembly to answer questions from lawmakers.
Di Secretary General of di Presidency, Oumar Samba Ba, read di decree for state television RTS around 10pm local time. According to am, di president use decree number 2026-1128 to end di functions of Ousmane Sonko as Prime Minister, and by extension, all ministers and secretaries of state don lose dia positions. Di outgoing ministers go handle current affairs until new government dey formed.
Dis move no come as total surprise. For weeks, tensions don dey grow between di two leaders wey come to power together for 2024. Sonko, wey na former mentor to Faye, bin be di one wey choose Faye to run for president after court bin block Sonko from contesting due to conviction for defamation. But since dem enter office, differences between dem don start to show for public.
About three weeks before di sack, Faye bin tell journalists say e fit remove Sonko if e no longer trust am. And now, di Rubicon don cross. Sonko react quick on Facebook, writing: “Alhamdoulillah. Tonight I go sleep with light heart at Cité Keur Gorgui.” Dat na di neighborhood for Dakar where im house dey.
Di political analyst Professor Maurice Soudieck Dione from Gaston Berger University say dis development fit cause serious problem for Senegal. With local elections coming for 2027 and presidential election for 2029, di danger be say di presidential majority and parliamentary majority go fight each other, and dat fit spoil how public affairs dey run.
Senegal already dey face economic wahala, with debt crisis and long talks with International Monetary Fund. Dis sudden change for top level government fit add more uncertainty to di situation.
Sonko, wey be 51 years old and founder of PASTEF party, bin be strong opposition figure against former President Macky Sall. Im pan-Africanist rhetoric bin attract many young people wey dey tired of di old ways. But now, di partnership wey bring dem to power don break, and di country dey wait to see wetin go happen next.
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