Fresh row erupts between Senegal president and PM
The west African country is in the unusual position of having a president, Bassirou Dioumaye Faye, who owes his election in large part to his premier and firebrand former mentor, Ousmane Sonko.
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye (left) is again at odds with his premier and former mentor, Ousmane Sonko. (Photo by AFP)
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DAKAR — Senegal's president and prime minister quarrelled on Wednesday over the dismissal of a key ally of the latter, the latest public signs of fracture at the summit of Senegalese politics.
The west African country is in the unusual position of having a president, Bassirou Dioumaye Faye, who owes his election in large part to his premier and firebrand former mentor, Ousmane Sonko.
Both swept to power on a promise of radical change in March 2024, with Sonko naming Faye as his movement's presidential candidate after being barred from running himself by the courts.
In turn, Faye tapped Sonko to run his government, cementing a political marriage which, after an initial honeymoon, has appeared increasingly on the rocks in recent months.
Late on Tuesday Faye said he had dismissed a close Sonko ally, Aissatou Mbodj, as coordinator of their political coalition, citing "divisive elements".
Faye's push to replace the coordinator comes just days after Sonko had publicly dismissed the idea of replacing Mbodj, offering his backing at a large rally in the capital Dakar on Saturday.
But on Wednesday Sonko's Pastef party, the driving force of the ruling coalition, put out a statement insisting the president "did not have the power to dismiss Mrs Mbodj" and rejecting her Faye-appointed replacement, ex-prime minister Aminata Toure.
"Pastef and its allies do not recognise any initiative coordinated by Mrs Toure," the party's political bureau added.
This latest public row between the pair comes just months after Sonko launched a broadside against Faye in July, accusing the president of lacking authority.
Before they took power, the two men had been longtime allies and tight-knit companions. Both spent time in jail under ex-president Macky Sall, who ruled Senegal between 2012 and 2024.
Their rise to power fanned hopes of change among Senegal's many disadvantaged young people, but the bickering of recent months has raised doubts over whether their alliance will last until the next elections in 2029.