Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fires prime minister after years of simmering tension

WorldPolitics
23 May 2026 • 6:38 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fires prime minister after years of simmering tension

Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has fired Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko after years of simmering tension.

The decision was announced by the secretary general of the government during a late-night broadcast on Friday.

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 (PASTEF) party who had defeated the former ruling party.