Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the entire government on Friday, in a move that abruptly ends the political partnership that brought him to power last year and deepens uncertainty in a country already under economic strain.

The announcement was delivered late Friday on state television by presidential aide Oumar Samba Ba, secretary-general of the presidency, who said Faye “has ended the duties of Ousmane Sonko… and consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government.” The outgoing cabinet has been instructed to handle day-to-day affairs until a new government is formed.

The decision follows months of mounting strain between the two men who ran together on a platform of anti-establishment reform and economic sovereignty.

Sonko, a charismatic figure with a large youth following, was barred from running in the 2024 election due to a defamation conviction and instead backed Faye’s candidacy. Their alliance delivered a historic victory for Pastef, unseating the Alliance pour la République after 12 years in power under former President Macky Sall.

The campaign had capitalized on widespread frustration with Sall’s government, particularly after speculation that he had used a 2016 constitutional change to extend his time in office. Sall eventually did not contest the election, and his party lost decisively.

Behind the scenes, relations between Faye and Sonko had been deteriorating since late 2025. The public split became clearer in March when Sonko warned he would withdraw Pastef from government if Faye deviated from the party’s agenda. Disagreements over economic policy proved the breaking point. Sonko opposed any restructuring of Senegal’s debt, estimated at $13 billion, which he said the IMF was advocating. He also rejected Finance Minister Cheikh Diba’s request to raise fuel prices, arguing that further hikes would burden Senegalese households already facing a high cost of living.

Diba warned on Friday that Senegal’s fuel subsidy bill could exceed the 2026 budget allocation by as much as 1.15 trillion CFA francs, about $2 billion, if oil prices rise to $115 per barrel.

The economic backdrop makes the political break more consequential. The International Monetary Fund froze its $1.8 billion lending program with Senegal after the discovery of misreported debt pushed the country’s end-2024 debt level to 132% of economic output. Senegal had hoped to resume talks with the IMF the week of June 8 and reach agreement on key points by June 30, but Faye’s decision to dissolve the government introduces fresh uncertainty into those negotiations.

Sonko had also pushed for a renegotiation of oil and gas contracts, calling a BP agreement for the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim project unfair, and revoked 71 mining licenses as part of a broader push to assert greater state control over natural resources. Faye has been less vocal on those issues, leaving open the question of whether policy will shift now that Sonko is out.

The political fallout was immediate. In a post on X after the announcement, Sonko wrote, “Tonight I will sleep with a light heart in the Keur Gorgui neighbourhood,” referring to his residence in Dakar.

Supporters gathered outside his home in the capital, signaling that the rift could mobilize Pastef’s base against the presidency. The firing caps a period of open confrontation between the two former allies from the Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l’Éthique et la Fraternité party who had defeated the former ruling party just over a year ago.

For Faye, the move consolidates authority but carries significant risk. He now faces the task of forming a new government while trying to restore confidence with the IMF and stabilize public finances without alienating the youth constituency that propelled Pastef to power.

The next prime minister will inherit a heavy debt burden, stalled social programs, and expectations that the administration will deliver on promises of economic sovereignty and job creation. How Faye navigates that balance will determine whether the break with Sonko stabilizes his presidency or accelerates political fragmentation ahead of the next electoral cycle.