Senegal's new prime minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo unveiled a 30-member cabinet on Monday without the formal participation of Pastef, the party that brought President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to power — a striking sign of the deepening rupture between Faye and his long-time ally, ousted prime minister Ousmane Sonko.

Sonko announced on X just one hour before the cabinet list was published that he had met with Faye and that "points of disagreement" had emerged over Pastef's role in the executive. As a result, he said, the party "will not participate in the next government and will not be represented by any ministers." The announcement was partially contradicted when the cabinet was revealed: three Pastef members were included, among them Yankhoba Diémé, who moves from the transport portfolio to head the armed forces ministry. Crucially, however, none of Sonko's close allies retained the heavyweight ministries they previously held — including interior, justice and petroleum — and finance minister Cheikh Diba, a technocrat who has led recent negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, was not only retained but had his portfolio expanded to include the economy ministry. Lo described the new team as a "mission government with an obligation to deliver results."

The political break between Faye and Sonko has been building for months. Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on 22 May, eleven days before Monday's cabinet announcement. Lawmakers loyal to Sonko responded by reinstating him as a member of parliament and electing him speaker of the 165-seat National Assembly — a role that gives him significant power to obstruct the president's legislative agenda. Pastef holds a large parliamentary majority, meaning Faye now faces a government of his own formation that lacks the backing of the party under whose banner he was elected.

The stakes extend well beyond internal politics. Senegal is navigating a serious fiscal crisis after the previous government was found in 2024 to have misreported public debt, prompting the IMF to freeze a $1.8 billion lending programme. The country's debt level was revised to 132 percent of economic output at the end of 2024. Diba told parliament on 22 May that Senegal hopes to resume IMF talks the week of 8 June and reach agreement on key points by 30 June. The expanded finance-economy portfolio is intended, Lo said, to create greater "coherence" in economic policymaking as those negotiations resume.

Sonko has been a vocal critic of the IMF and has dismissed the prospect of debt restructuring, and analysts warn his new role as speaker could significantly constrain the executive's room for manoeuvre. Oxford Economics noted that Sonko "has signalled an intention to exercise strong parliamentary oversight, potentially constraining the executive's ability to implement reforms aligned with IMF requirements." Faye will chair the new cabinet's first full meeting on Friday.