UPDATE 1-Senegal president sacks PM Sonko, dissolves government amid rising tensions

Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on ‌Friday sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government, according to ‌a statement read on national broadcaster ‌RTS, in a move that risks deepening political tensions as the country grapples ⁠with ​heavy ⁠debt. The secretary general ⁠of the presidency said in the statement ⁠that ⁠the government had been dissolved.

Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on ‌Friday sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government, according to ‌a statement read on national broadcaster ‌RTS, in a move that risks deepening political tensions as the country grapples ⁠with ​heavy ⁠debt. The decision follows months of mounting ⁠strains between the two allies-turned-rivals.

Sonko, a charismatic ​figure with a large youth ⁠following, had backed Faye in the 2024 ⁠election ​after a defamation conviction barred him from running. The secretary general ⁠of the presidency said in the statement ⁠that ⁠the government had been dissolved.