President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal has dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government after months of escalating tensions, deepening the crisis in this debt-ridden West African nation.

The unexpected announcement was broadcast on state television in a decree read by presidential adviser Oumar Samba Ba, who stated that Mr. Faye had “terminated the duties of Ousmane Sonko… and, consequently, those of the ministers and state secretaries serving in the government.”

Senegal now faces an unusual scenario where the president owes much of his position to the very prime minister he has just removed—Sonko would likely have secured the presidency himself had he not been barred from the 2024 election race due to a defamation conviction.

Relations between Faye and the charismatic Sonko, once his mentor, have deteriorated sharply in recent months.

Their party, Pastef, swept the first round of the March 2024 elections on promises of sweeping political change, vowing to combat what they called systemic corruption and mismanagement of public affairs.

Despite Sonko’s widespread appeal, President Faye holds the ultimate authority as head of state and can remove his prime minister with a single decree.

Sonko had ignited passionate support among Senegal’s disillusioned youth ahead of the 2024 presidential vote, particularly with his fiery panafricanist rhetoric and uncompromising stance against former colonial power France.

In a bold address to Pastef supporters in early July, Sonko openly criticized Faye for what he described as a “lack of leadership” in failing to adequately defend him against mounting criticism.