Senegal’s President Appoints New Prime Minister After Sacking Sonko

Senegal’s president Bassirou Diomaye Faye has named a former banking executive as the country’s new prime minister, days after the previous officeholder was removed from the position, a development occurring at a critical time as the West African nation navigates mounting debt pressures and internal divisions within the ruling party.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced on Monday, through a statement broadcast on national television, the appointment of Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as head of government, succeeding Ousmane Sonko in the role.

Sonko’s removal last Friday followed months of growing friction between him and the president.

His dismissal subsequently prompted the resignation of all government members and the dissolution of the administration.

Lo, who now faces the task of forming a new government, previously held a senior position at the Central Bank of West African States, where he was instrumental in shaping monetary and economic policies across the region.

He had also served as state minister to the president and as secretary-general under Sonko’s government.

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The rift between Faye and Sonko had become increasingly public over recent months, with the two clashing over several policy matters, among them, negotiations surrounding a loan agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Faye had issued a pointed warning to Sonko in May, stating that Sonko would only keep his job if he did it properly.

The pair were once close political allies within Pastef, short for its French title, Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l’Éthique et la Fraternité, the party that swept into power during the March 2024 parliamentary elections.

Their victory came on the back of a hard-fought campaign against the then-ruling Alliance pour la République, amid widespread concerns that former President Macky Sall was seeking to exploit a 2016 constitutional amendment to extend his time in office.

Sonko, who leads Pastef, had been disqualified from contesting the presidential race after a defamation conviction was upheld by Senegal’s supreme court and the Constitutional Court subsequently rejected his candidacy.

Faye ran in his place and, upon winning, appointed Sonko as prime minister.