Efforts are underway behind the scenes to defuse growing tensions between Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his long-time ally and mentor, Ousmane Sonko, amid signs of a deepening rift at the top of the state.
According to sources close to the situation, well-meaning intermediaries — including members of civil society, religious leaders (marabouts), and relatives of both men — are quietly mediating in a bid to repair the relationship. So far, nothing concrete has leaked from these talks beyond scattered speculation and guarded reassurances from officials of PASTEF, the ruling party, who insist that “things are on the right track.”
That narrative stands in sharp contrast with reports in parts of the local press. The private daily Source A, for example, ran a headline suggesting that the “Bassirou–Sonko divide is widening,” reflecting growing public concern that the once-solid partnership may be fracturing.
Observers say the difficulty of the mediation underscores how serious the disagreement has become. Some insiders even describe the two men as “no longer speaking the same language,” politically and strategically.
At the heart of the crisis is President Faye’s desire to reorganize the presidential coalition that swept him to power. What was initially presented as a necessary restructuring has instead triggered a tug-of-war between two figures who long portrayed their relationship as unbreakable.
Many recall that it was Ousmane Sonko who, after his conviction, publicly anointed Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the presidential candidate, popularising the slogan “Sonko moy Diomaye” (“Sonko is Diomaye”) to signal that backing one meant backing both. That slogan is now being tested by the realities of governing and managing power.
Within PASTEF, a hardline faction is pushing back against Faye’s role in reshaping the coalition. They argue that, having resigned from all party structures after his election — a move he said was intended to allow him to “rise above the fray” — the president no longer has the legitimacy to lead internal party reorganization.
These internal tensions have spilled into the public space, fueling rumours of a deeper split between the head of state and the man widely seen as the movement’s original standard-bearer.
For now, the outcome of the mediation remains uncertain. But one thing is clear: the political alliance that brought Bassirou Diomaye Faye to power is facing its most serious stress test yet.
