Senegal’s Sonko slams government over G20 debt restructuring plan
Senegal’s National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko has criticised the government's decision to pursue debt restructuring under the G20 framework, arguing that the country's financial difficulties could have been resolved without it.
Speaking in Dakar on Monday, Sonko said Senegal should not have agreed to become a test case for the restructuring mechanism, describing the country's challenges as primarily a cash flow and financing problem.
“We should never have agreed to become the first test case, to serve as a guinea pig for a new system,” he said.
Sonko accused the government of abandoning the economic vision of his PASTEF party and questioned whether debt negotiations had taken place without his knowledge while he was Prime Minister.
He also condemned cuts to social spending and public investment, warning that they would further burden struggling Senegalese households.
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“When you cut the investment budget by 555 billion CFA francs, what is left? We are no longer truly pursuing an investment policy,” he said.
Senegal's debt crisis worsened after an audit uncovered billions of dollars in previously undisclosed borrowing, prompting the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to suspend disbursements under its previous lending programme.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
