Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on the evening of 22 May 2026, dissolving the entire government by presidential decree. The announcement was read live on state broadcaster RTS by the secretary-general of the presidency, Oumar Samba Ba, just before 10 p.m. local time. The firing came only hours after Sonko had appeared before the National Assembly to answer deputies' questions — a session in which he openly acknowledged "divergences" with the president and declared, "I am not a prime minister who obeys blindly and agrees to everything."

The two men had arrived in power together in March 2024 in what was seen as a historic political breakthrough. Sonko, a charismatic opposition leader with a strong following among Senegal's youth, had been barred from standing in the presidential election after a court upheld a defamation conviction. He instead designated Faye — his long-time ally and fellow Pastef party figure, who had himself been imprisoned during the political struggles against former President Macky Sall — as the presidential candidate. Faye won decisively, and Sonko was appointed prime minister days later. Pastef, whose full name translates as African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, had campaigned on promises of deep political reform and anti-corruption measures.

The partnership began to crack publicly in July 2025, when Sonko accused Faye of a "failure of leadership" for not defending him sufficiently against political critics. The rift deepened in November 2025 when Faye moved to reactivate the coalition that had brought him to power and appointed Aminata Touré to lead it, reportedly against Sonko's wishes — a decision perceived inside the party as a betrayal. By early March 2026, Sonko was openly discussing the possibility of returning to the opposition and described the situation as a "soft cohabitation." In early May, Faye said publicly for the first time that he could dismiss Sonko if he lost confidence in him. His final appearance before parliament, where he told deputies that "the president is mistaken" and set an ultimatum on financial reform, appears to have been the breaking point. A source close to the presidency described the dismissal as a response to Sonko's "general attitude" of repeated public challenges to presidential authority.

Sonko's response was brief but pointed. "Tonight I will sleep with a light heart," he wrote on social media shortly after the announcement. Hundreds of supporters gathered near his residence and on the campus of Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar to show solidarity. The Pastef party issued a statement praising Sonko's "remarkable work" and said it was preparing for a party congress on 6 June.

The split carries significant implications for Senegal's political landscape. Political scientist Maurice Soudieck Dione of the University of Gaston-Berger in Saint-Louis warned of the risk of an open conflict between a presidential majority and a parliamentary majority, with local elections due in 2027 and a presidential vote in 2029. Both Faye and Sonko now face the challenge of defining their own political identities — and competing bases — as the country navigates an already difficult economic situation.