Senegal’s President Faye Launches a New Party Over Deepening Split with Former Ally Sonko

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye addresses the 80th session of the UN General Assembly at United Nations headquarters, Monday, Sept. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis, File)

By MARK BANCHEREAU

3:24 PM EDT, July 25, 2026

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal ‘s president formally launched his own political party Saturday, cementing his rupture with former ally Ousmane Sonko, the head of the ruling Pastef party, and setting up a power struggle during a major debt crisis.

The creation of Bassirou Diomaye Faye ‘s Republican Patriots party makes official a split that had been building for months between the two men. They rose to power together in 2024 under the Pastef banner, an acronym for its French name, Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l’Éthique et la Fraternité.

In the weeks leading up to the launch, a growing number of Pastef officials resigned from the party to join Faye’s camp, including several regional leaders and members of its youth wing. Several members of the opposition party Alliance for The Republic have also joined Faye’s movement.

Faye and Sonko’s alliance, forged ahead of the 2024 presidential election, unraveled amid disputes over key policy decisions, including how to approach negotiations with the International Monetary Fund over a loan program amid a severe debt crisis.

Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister earlier this year, but Sonko’s party retained its large majority in parliament, and he was elected president of the National Assembly soon after.

A new prime minister, Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, was appointed in May, and a new Cabinet was formed the following month without any ministers from Pastef, after Sonko announced his party would not take part in the government.

Faye and Sonko had campaigned together in 2024 on pledges to create jobs for young people, crack down on corruption and win Senegal a bigger share of revenue from its oil, gas and mineral wealth.

But those promises have grown harder to deliver, as Senegal’s debt burden has worsened since they took office, after officials discovered the previous administration had underreported billions of dollars in borrowing.

The formation of Faye’s new party sets up a political showdown between the former allies that is likely to play out in local elections in 2027 and could shape the campaign for the 2029 presidential race.

MARK BANCHEREAU

Banchereau covers 22 countries across West and Central Africa for The Associated Press. He is based in Dakar, Senegal.