The dismissal of Ousmane Sonko by Bassirou Diomaye Faye on May 23, 2026, wasn’t merely a clash of personalities. It marked the inevitable collision between two diametrically opposed economic strategies, both previously united under the same political banner. Two years after the April 2024 change in leadership—when Faye assumed office and appointed Sonko as Prime Minister—the alliance crumbled over three pivotal economic issues: debt management, hydrocarbon development, and the capital structure financing national policy.

Debt: the first major divide

The most glaring fracture emerged over debt. In September 2024, Ousmane Sonko publicly exposed undisclosed debt accumulated under Macky Sall’s administration. By March 2025, an IMF assessment revealed approximately €7 billion in unreported commitments. The country’s total debt now exceeds 100% of GDP, with annual debt servicing consuming 5,500 billion West African CFA francs (€8.4 billion) and refinancing needs nearing 6,000 billion CFA francs (€9.1 billion). The sovereign credit rating has been downgraded three times in twelve months.

Against this backdrop, two conflicting approaches took shape. Sonko rejected any restructuring outright, turning debt revelation into a central theme of his public communication. His rhetoric resonated with public opinion, the diaspora, and his militant base, ensuring he wouldn’t be seen as the leader who settled his own legitimacy through a negotiated deal with Washington. Faye, by contrast, pursued a different path, engaging proactively with the IMF, hosting a delegation in November 2025, and initiating a national dialogue in May 2026.

With the suspended €1.55 billion program, international capital markets effectively closed, and the looming threat of sovereign default by 2028, Sonko’s position became economically unsustainable—despite its political utility in mobilizing the Pastef (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity, the majority party founded by Sonko in 2014).