Nigeria, May 27 -- Power struggles often play out in Senegal's political arena, both within a party and between rival parties. To summarise British foreign minister Lord Palmerston's argument in 1848:

The situation at the top of Senegal's executive branch is no exception.

The Sonko-Diomaye duo, formed by president Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his prime minister Ousmane Sonko, used to speak with one voice. Today, the alliance that oversaw the fall of former president Macky Sall is plagued by deep internal divisions. These disagreements culminated on 22 May 2026 with the president's announcement that he'd dismissed the prime minister and dissolved the government.

A political rally held by Sonko in November 2025 already showed signs of a fra...