What began as an unprecedented political alliance in francophone Sub-Saharan Africa has dramatically shifted. In Senegal, the powerful duo of Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye—with Sonko serving as the mentor to the staunch presidential opponent Faye—which had united for the 2024 presidential election, transformed into a visible rivalry before ultimately collapsing on the night of May 22, 2026.

Indeed, on Friday, May 22, just before 10 PM, the Senegalese public was taken by surprise by a brief address broadcast from the Presidential Palace in Dakar. Oumar Samba Ba, the Secretary-General of the Presidency, announced the immediate dismissal of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. Concurrently, all members of the government were relieved of their duties.

“By decree n°2026-1128 of May 22, 2026, the President of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has terminated the functions of Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister, and, consequently, those of the ministers and secretaries of state, members of the government. The outgoing government members are tasked with handling current affairs,” Oumar Samba Ba declared.

Upon learning of his dismissal, Ousmane Sonko promptly responded on Facebook, stating: “This evening, I will sleep with a light heart.”

Just hours earlier, while addressing members of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko had asserted: “I am not a Prime Minister who obeys blindly and acquiesces to everything.”

It is important to recall that tensions had been mounting in recent months between the two executive leaders who came to power in 2024. Their political disagreements had become increasingly public. For instance, weeks prior, during a meeting with the nation’s media, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye had indicated that he could “terminate the functions of his Prime Minister as soon as he no longer had confidence in him.” The Rubicon, it appears, was crossed that evening.

The immediate question now is how the political landscape in Senegal will evolve, especially with the next local elections not anticipated until 2027 and the presidential election in 2029.