Timbuktu Institute Week 1 – June 2026

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Since the dismissal of Ousmane Sonko and the appointment of Ahmadou Al Aminou Mohamed Lô as Prime Minister, all eyes have remained fixed on the Presidential Palace, awaiting the formation of the new government. Predictions and speculation were rife, particularly around one central question: with or without Pastef? Finally, on¹June, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed a new 30-member government, marked by the virtual absence of Pastef, the party led by the new Speaker of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko. The new cabinet is mainly composed of technocrats and figures close to the president. Several influential figures from Pastef, who previously held strategic ministries such as the Interior, Justice or Petroleum, have been excluded. Among the few party members retained in the government is Yankhoba Diémé, appointed Minister of the Armed Forces, who, like his colleagues, chose not to follow his party’s instructions, as the party had announced its refusal to participate in the government due to disagreements over its composition.

The same applies to several political figures allied with Pastef, such as the Minister for National Education, Moustapha Guirassy, and Déthié Fall at Infrastructure. Against a backdrop of severe financial crisis, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba has been reappointed with his remit expanded to include the Economy, whilst El Hadji Abdourahmane Diouf takes the helm of the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum. At the Ministry of the Interior, Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé succeeds Sonko’s lawyer, Maître Bamba Cissé. Presented as a “government of mission and accountability”, this new executive appears, however, to be weakened from the outset by the absence of Pastef, the majority party in the National Assembly. All things considered, the new government team will have to operate against a backdrop of growing and ongoing tensions. Furthermore, Pastef’s refusal to join the government due to disagreements over its composition marks the tangible beginning of a major political rift at the highest levels of state, long hinted at by the Head of State and his former Prime Minister.

Abdoulaye Wade’s centenary: a backdrop to tensions between Diomaye and Sonko?

Before an audience of dignitaries gathered at the Grand Théâtre National, President Faye celebrated the 100th birthday of Abdoulaye Wade, an iconic figure in Senegalese political history. In a lively and spirited speech, the Head of State elevated the ‘Pope of Sopi’ to the status of national heritage, whilst delivering a political message. “You have taught us that today’s adversary is not an enemy and may even become tomorrow’s partner (…) You have taught us that no quarrel, however fierce, is worth tearing apart the country we share,” he declared, referring to Wade. Praising the values of patience, resilience and overcoming adversity which, in his view, have marked the centenarian’s “ ” journey, President Faye reminded his audience that the intensity of political debate must not overshadow the duty to preserve “the Senegalese home”. It is hard not to see this as a reference to the current political tensions between the Sonko and Diomaye camps, especially when the latter asserts that “democracy is not a prize to be snatched and jealously guarded”. Furthermore, could this move be seen as an attempt by the Head of State – in search of a political base – to build closer ties with the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS)? It is true that the party has been more or less on the sidelines of Senegalese politics for the past few years. Nevertheless, the party still has a solid electoral base, and is well aware of this. In this regard, it is noteworthy that after backing the Diomaye-Sonko ticket for the 2024 presidential election, the PDS subsequently joined the opposition by supporting Macky Sall’s Alliance for the Republic (APR) in the legislative elections. At present, the two political parties form a parliamentary group in the National Assembly.

Pastef Congress: a show of strength

Following Ousmane Sonko’s swift election as Speaker of the National Assembly after his dismissal as Prime Minister, Pastef’s political response was, to say the least, eagerly anticipated. It came in the form of the party’s first congress, held on 6 June, twelve years after its founding. At this veritable mass gathering in Diamniadio, Ousmane Sonko was, unsurprisingly, unanimously elected party president. Amidst a jubilant atmosphere and cheers from the crowd, he sought to reassure on the political tensions whilst setting a clear course. There is “no institutional crisis” in Senegal, he asserted. Whilst, since his ousting from the Prime Minister’s office, some activists have branded President Faye and those Pastef members who agreed to join the new government as “traitors”, the new head of the legislature urged his supporters to refrain from any insults or verbal attacks. “I will never betray the party’s ideals and principles (….) The entire living party has gathered here to reflect, debate and prepare for the future,” he assured in his speech. Furthermore, he was keen to emphasise Pastef’s positioning as a “force for thought, organisation and transformation”, underpinned by an “ideological framework [which] is a sovereignist Pan-Africanism of democratic transformation”. Thus, as far as can be said, this congress appears to be a political reaffirmation aimed at reminding everyone that, despite his departure from the Prime Minister’s Office, Sonko intends to remain the centre of gravity of Pastef as well as a key player in Senegal’s power equation.