Saturday, August 1, 2026

RN

Right News

Politics

Senegal in Turmoil as President Fires Prime Minister Amid Economic Collapse

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolves government following public feud with Ousmane Sonko as national debt spirals out of control.

PoliticsPublished May 23, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko is pictured with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye

The political alliance that brought Senegal's leadership to power has officially shattered. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government in a desperate move to consolidate authority following months of public infighting.

The decree, announced via national television, abruptly ended the tenure of Sonko—a figure who was instrumental in Faye’s rise to the presidency. This internal power struggle comes at the worst possible time for the West African nation.

Senegal is currently buckling under a massive debt burden, with the International Monetary Fund reporting public debt at a staggering 132% of GDP. The fiscal mismanagement has become so severe that the IMF has frozen its $1.8 billion lending program.

The rift between the two men deepened during a parliamentary session where Sonko openly attacked the president's handling of the economic catastrophe. While Sonko’s supporters took to the streets of Dakar to protest his dismissal, the reality remains that the country is rudderless.

With no successor named and the government dissolved, Senegal faces a period of profound instability while its economy continues to crater under the weight of inherited debt and failed leadership.

Tags

senegalpoliticseconomic-crisisinternational-relations

More in Politics

Gianni Infantino looks on during the World Cup
Politics4h ago

Fifa Boss Gianni Infantino Forced to Abandon Controversial Privatization Scheme

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has officially scrapped a plan to sell off portions of major football tournaments to private investors following a widespread backlash from governing bodies and the resignation of his own senior adviser.

Former Peruvian President Ollanta Humala speaks in front of a number of microphones
Politics7h ago

Peru's Constitutional Court Voids Corruption Conviction of Former President Ollanta Humala

Peru's constitutional court has nullified the corruption conviction of former President Ollanta Humala, who was found guilty of accepting illegal funds from foreign entities to bankroll his political campaigns.

Three members of the National Guard stand in front of the Reflecting Pool
Politics9h ago

Government Admits Botched Contractor Work, Not Vandals, Damaged Reflecting Pool

Federal prosecutors have dropped vandalism charges against a former Olympian after admitting that the damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was caused by a botched, rushed installation by a government-selected contractor rather tha