Senegal: Diomaye Faye Breaks With Sonko, Launches New Party in Senegal

What the report says

AllAfrica, carrying a Radio France Internationale report dated 28 July 2026, reported that Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has launched a new political party, Kiiraay, after a public split with Ousmane Sonko, his former mentor, former prime minister and leader of Pastef. The party was introduced on Saturday at an event in Dakar attended by hundreds of supporters. Faye presented Kiiraay as a national majority force and said its political identity rests on republican values, ethics, transparency, fraternity and work.

The report said Kiiraay means “shield” or “protection” in Wolof and uses the slogan “Republican Patriots.” Some supporters at the Dakar event expressed hope that Faye would now have more room to pursue his agenda, while others remained firmly opposed to Sonko. Faye’s communications team said the party is expected to hold a congress after Senegal’s rainy season.

The move follows the collapse of the alliance that helped bring Faye to power in 2024. Sonko, barred from running for president because of a defamation conviction, backed Faye, who appointed him prime minister after taking office. Their relationship later deteriorated amid policy disputes, including how to respond to Senegal’s public debt problems, and Faye dismissed Sonko on 22 May. Sonko subsequently became speaker of the National Assembly and remains head of Pastef.

The development matters because Pastef still holds a commanding parliamentary majority, with 130 of 165 seats, according to the report. Kiiraay has not yet been tested in elections, though some Pastef figures have moved toward Faye’s camp. A recent attempt by lawmakers to limit the president’s ability to lead a party was struck down by the Constitutional Council.