A political earthquake of unprecedented magnitude has rocked Senegal and the wider sub-region. On Friday, May 22, 2026, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye officially terminated the mandate of his Prime Minister and political mentor, Ousmane Sonko. This drastic decision triggers the immediate dissolution of the government and signals an abrupt end to the executive partnership that has steered the nation since the change of power in April 2024.

Decree n°2026-1128: the official act of separation

The shockwave reverberated throughout the evening with the publication of a significant official document. The head of state signed presidential decree number 2026-1128 on Friday, May 22, 2026, bringing an immediate end to Ousmane Sonko’s responsibilities as head of government. To formalize this separation, Bassirou Diomaye Faye meticulously invoked the prerogatives outlined in Senegal’s Fundamental Law, specifically articles 42, 43, 53, and 56 of the Constitution.

This legal framework establishes the President of the Republic as the guardian of the Constitution, the guarantor of the regular functioning of institutions, and grants him the discretionary power to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister. Article one of the decree unambiguously states: « The functions of Mr. Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister of the Republic of Senegal, are hereby terminated. »

Under Article 2, the decree’s implementation is immediate. Through a constitutional ripple effect, the departure of the head of government automatically leads to the resignation of all ministers and secretaries of state. However, the decree specifies that members of the outgoing cabinet are tasked with handling current affairs pending the appointment of a new ministerial team.

« diomaye is sonko »: genesis of an unparalleled partnership

To fully grasp the impact of this political upheaval, it is crucial to recall the unique and intertwined nature of the relationship between the two men. Ousmane Sonko, the charismatic leader of the PASTEF party, had built a formidable opposition against the Macky Sall regime. Faced with relentless judicial persecution and his definitive disqualification from the presidential race by the Constitutional Council in early 2024, Sonko made a strategically brilliant choice.

While sharing the same prison cell following waves of political arrests, Ousmane Sonko designated his secretary-general and most loyal lieutenant, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, as the substitute candidate for the systemic change project.

Driven by the historic slogan « Diomaye, c’est Sonko » (Diomaye is Sonko), the substitute candidate became the embodiment of popular fervor aligned with the party leader. Released under an amnesty law just days before the election, the two men conducted a lightning campaign, leading Bassirou Diomaye Faye to a triumphant first-round victory on March 24, 2024.

Upon his swearing-in on April 2, 2024, the newly elected president appointed Ousmane Sonko to the post of Prime Minister via decree n°2024-921. For the first time in African political history, a political mentor became the institutional subordinate of his own protégé, establishing an unprecedented dual-headed governance structure.

The seeds of discord: from unity to friction

While the illusion of perfect harmony was long maintained through public statements, the exercise of state power quickly exposed the limitations of this two-headed operation, leading to a subtle clash of divergent visions over the months.

On one side, Ousmane Sonko maintained his identity as a sovereignist theorist and orator, frequently delivering direct and decisive pronouncements on international issues, the renegotiation of mining and oil contracts, and a break with traditional partners. On the other, President Faye found himself directly confronting the realities of macroeconomic management, regional diplomacy, and the absolute necessity of reassuring financial markets.

The first visible cracks emerged during the cabinet readjustment of September 6, 2025, formalized by the signing of decree n°2025-430, which set the new composition of the government. This reshuffle, far from easing tensions, highlighted internal power struggles for control of key ministries between the Prime Minister’s early loyalists and the technocrats promoted by the head of state.

In essence, this political cohabitation between a President of the Republic holding constitutional legitimacy and a head of government embodying historical popular legitimacy reignited the