Senegal’s President Faye sacks PM Sonko and dissolves government

The renewed instability could complicate bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government, a move that risks deepening uncertainty in a country grappling with a debt crisis and ⁠ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).A statement read out by a presidential aide on state media on Friday informed the nation that all ministers were dismissed, with the outgoing government tasked with handling day-to-day affairs.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Jailed Senegal fans deny wrongdoing in AFCON final chaos in Moroccolist 2 of 3Can Macron’s Kenya visit revive French influence in Africa?list 3 of 3Senegal PM slams West’s ‘homosexual tyranny’, defends LGBTQ crackdownend of listThe decision follows months of growing tensions between Faye and Sonko. Sonko, a charismatic figure with a strong youth following, had backed Faye in the 2024 election after being barred from running himself due to a defamation conviction, but the two allies became increasingly estranged.The split comes as Senegal faces mounting economic pressure. The IMF froze a $1.8bn lending programme following ‌the discovery of misreported debt hidden by the previous government, pushing the country’s end-2024 debt level to 132 percent of its economic output.Faye’s move raises the risk of further delays in reaching a new agreement with the IMF.Earlier on Friday, before Sonko’s dismissal, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba told parliament that the government expects to resume talks with the IMF in the week of June 8 and hopes to reach an agreement on key points by June 30.Sonko was a popular opposition leader under the previous administration of President Macky Sall, whose decision to delay the 2024 election spurred unrest.Both Faye and Sonko are former tax officials who ⁠were jailed ahead of the 2024 election. They were released 10 days before the rescheduled contest, which Faye went on to win with 54 percent of the vote.