World
At odds with ex-PM, Senegal president urges against 'tearing apart the country'
"No quarrel, however bitter, is worth tearing apart the country we share," Faye declared in a speech, days after Sonko told him to "get down from his pedestal".
Senegalese parliament speaker Ousmane Sonko (L) has said he is in a "cohabitation" with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye (right). (Photo by AFP)
By: AFP ., Journalist @New Vision
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DAKAR — Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whose tug-of-war with his former mentor-turned-premier Ousmane Sonko has plunged the West African country into crisis, on Thursday urged against further dividing the nation.
"No quarrel, however bitter, is worth tearing apart the country we share," Faye declared in a speech, days after Sonko told him to "get down from his pedestal".
Senegal is in the unusual situation of having a president who owes his position in large part to his prime minister, with Sonko almost certain to have won the top job had the veteran firebrand not been barred from standing in the 2024 election.
Faye ran in his place instead, appointing Sonko as prime minister after the pair swept to power on a wave of enthusiasm for change in Senegal.
But rifts soon emerged between the longtime allies, who both spent time in jail under Faye's predecessor, Macky Sall. After several months of out-in-the-open disagreements, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on May 22, triggering political upheaval.
In turn, Sonko, the head of their Pan-African Pastef party, stood for election as speaker of the National Assembly, with the loyalty of rank-and-file lawmakers elevating him to the role on May 26.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the former prime minister insisted he was in a "cohabitation" with the president.
But rifts soon emerged between the longtime allies, who both spent time in jail under Faye's predecessor, Macky Sall. After several months of out-in-the-open disagreements, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on May 22, triggering political upheaval.
In turn, Sonko, the head of their Pan-African Pastef party, stood for election as speaker of the National Assembly, with the loyalty of rank-and-file lawmakers elevating him to the role on May 26.
In a press conference on Tuesday, the former prime minister insisted he was in a "cohabitation" with the president.
"He doesn't have all the powers. He needs to get down from his pedestal so that we can talk," Sonko said.
In his speech on Thursday at a ceremony in honour of former president Aboulaye Wade, Faye gave a well-received speech whose allusions to his political divorce with Sonko garnered widespread applause from the crowd at the Grand Theatre in the capital Dakar.
"Today's opponent is not an enemy. He is a well-meaning compatriot who sees the country differently, and with whom, once the battle is over, we must continue living in peace under the same roof in Senegal," the president said.
"We can oppose each other without tearing each other apart."
Faye finally thanked ex-president Wade for teaching him how to "never lose hope in Senegal, or even in a companion who loses himself in acrimony and the hatred of others".
In his speech on Thursday at a ceremony in honour of former president Aboulaye Wade, Faye gave a well-received speech whose allusions to his political divorce with Sonko garnered widespread applause from the crowd at the Grand Theatre in the capital Dakar.
"Today's opponent is not an enemy. He is a well-meaning compatriot who sees the country differently, and with whom, once the battle is over, we must continue living in peace under the same roof in Senegal," the president said.
"We can oppose each other without tearing each other apart."
Faye finally thanked ex-president Wade for teaching him how to "never lose hope in Senegal, or even in a companion who loses himself in acrimony and the hatred of others".