Remarkably, just days after his dismissal as Prime Minister by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ousmane Sonko reclaimed his seat as a Member of Parliament and was subsequently elected as the Speaker of the National Assembly. This swift turn of events highlights the complex and deep-seated political and institutional crisis now gripping Senegal. Despite both Sonko and Faye belonging to the same Pastef party, their partnership, which had been an unlikely alliance at the highest levels of government since April 2024, has fractured. Underlying tensions and rivalries had been brewing for several months. Further exacerbating the nation’s woes, a “hidden debt” of nearly $11 billion was uncovered shortly after the new administration took office, plunging Senegal into a severe financial predicament.

The critical question now facing Senegal is whether this change in prime ministerial leadership will foster reconciliation and stability, or if it risks intensifying the existing political tensions.

This evolving situation is explored with insights from Mehdi Ba, a journalist, and Vincent Foucher, a political scientist and CNRS research fellow at the Les Afriques dans le Monde (LAM) laboratory of Sciences Po Bordeaux.

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