Political tensions in Senegal have escalated sharply after Ousmane Sonko, speaker of the National Assembly and leader of the ruling Pastef party, launched a public broadside against President Bassirou Diomaye Faye at the inauguration of the party's new headquarters in the holy city of Touba on 12 July 2026. Sonko accused the president of prioritising his own political ambitions — including the creation of a new party — over the welfare of Senegalese citizens, pointing to a "near-unpayable" public debt and the absence of an IMF programme as evidence of neglect. The presidential coalition hit back the following day, denouncing Sonko's remarks as "scandalous" and "crypto-personal," and insisting that Diomaye Faye remains focused on improving living conditions for Senegalese people.