Sonko supporters express shock after Senegal PM dismissed
Supporters of Senegal’s ruling PASTEF party have expressed anger and disappointment following President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s decision to dismiss Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolve the government.
Speaking in Dakar on Saturday, activists and party loyalists said the move had shaken supporters who viewed Faye and Sonko as inseparable political allies.
“It hurt us very, very much to know that the president dismissed the prime minister,” activist Nourdine Diallo said. “We campaigned by saying ‘Diomaye is Sonko - Sonko is Diomaye.’ This slogan was really real, it wasn’t just words.”
Some supporters compared the political split to historic divisions among African leaders.
“As an African, it’s the usual in our history,” said Adama Fall, a PASTEF municipal councillor in Thies-Ouest. “Today, we are reliving history.”
Despite Sonko’s dismissal, supporters insisted he remained central to the movement’s future. “He will rest and come back to us in force to lead us in this revolution,” activist Maimouna Goudiaby said.
Fall accused President Faye of leading a “counter-revolution” against the movement Sonko built through the PASTEF party.
President Faye announced Sonko’s dismissal in a decree read on state television late Friday night. The decree also dissolved the government but did not name a replacement prime minister.
Sonko later reacted on social media, writing: “Praise be to Allah. Tonight I will sleep light-hearted in the city of Keur Gorgui.”
The two men rose to power together during the 2024 election after Sonko was barred from running because of legal cases he denied. Faye, backed by Sonko’s opposition movement, defeated then-president Macky Sall in a major political upset.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
