Ousmane Sonko, president of Senegal’s National Assembly, has reignited discussions around the country’s public debt by raising the possibility that certain obligations inherited from the prior government may fall under the category of “odious debt.”

The PASTEF leader defended the current administration’s decision to present a clear picture of public finances to both citizens and international partners. He stated that this transparency was essential for building credible and sustainable economic governance.

“We chose to start from a healthy foundation,” Sonko declared, adding that hiding the true budgetary situation would have further weakened the national economy.

While stressing that a sovereign state must honor its financial commitments, the National Assembly president argued that some debts taken under particular circumstances deserve careful scrutiny. He called for an international debate on how to define and manage so-called “odious” debts.

This legal concept, rooted in international law, generally refers to debts incurred without benefit to the population or under disputed conditions. Its legal application remains a subject of debate among the international community.

Reflecting on his time as prime minister, Ousmane Sonko noted that he did not then have all the institutional tools needed to fully pursue this line of thinking. However, he emphasized that he and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye share the same views on public finance management.

The political leader also reiterated his opposition to any abrupt debt restructuring, stressing the need to maintain Senegal’s financial credibility with partners, particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In his view, responses to the debt crisis must balance budgetary discipline, economic sovereignty, and the continuation of structural reforms essential for the country’s development.

Amid global economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, the debate over public debt sustainability remains one of Senegal’s primary economic challenges.