President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal has terminated the mandate of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and his entire cabinet, effective Friday evening, following months of escalating tensions between the two leaders. The decision was announced through a televised address delivered by the presidential secretary-general, Oumar Samba Ba.

According to the decree, Ousmane Sonko is no longer Prime Minister, and all government ministers and state secretaries have been relieved of their duties. The outgoing officials have been instructed to manage only urgent and current affairs until a new administration is formed.

Ousmane Sonko, once a vocal critic of outgoing President Macky Sall, had been barred from running in the February 2024 presidential election due to a defamation conviction that stripped him of his civil rights. The move sparked widespread protests against Macky Sall’s attempt to seek a controversial third term.

At Sonko’s suggestion, Bassirou Diomaye Faye ran in his place and won the election. However, the relationship between the president and his former mentor and charismatic premier quickly deteriorated. The rift deepened as Sonko’s significant influence—key to their electoral victory—became a point of contention.

Known for his fiery panafricanist rhetoric, Ousmane Sonko had galvanized Senegal’s disillusioned youth ahead of the 2024 vote, leading months of confrontation with Macky Sall’s administration. His dismissal drew immediate reactions from supporters.

“Alhamdoulillah. Tonight, I will sleep with a light heart at Keur Gorgui,” Sonko wrote on Facebook, referencing his Dakar residence where crowds gathered to celebrate his removal from office.

The announcement has intensified political uncertainty in Senegal, where Sonko’s party commands a dominant majority in the National Assembly following its landslide victory in the November 2024 legislative elections.