Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government on Friday, shattering the political partnership that swept the two men to power last year, and opening a new period of uncertainty in one of West Africa's most closely watched democracies.

The announcement, delivered in a decree read on state television by presidential aide Oumar Samba Ba, brought an abrupt end to months of growing tensions between the president and the charismatic populist leader whose political movement transformed Senegal’s political landscape.

"President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has ended the duties of Ousmane Sonko and consequently those of the ministers and secretaries of state who are members of the government," Ba said in the televised statement.

No replacement was immediately named.

The dismissal marks a dramatic rupture inside the ruling Pastef party, whose rise was powered by promises of radical political reform, economic sovereignty and a break from Senegal's traditional elite. But behind the alliance was a fragile arrangement: A president who constitutionally held power, and a prime minister who remained the movement's most influential political force.

Late Friday night, Sonko appeared to signal defiance rather than retreat.

"Alhamdulillah (praise be to God). Tonight I will sleep soundly in the Keur Gorgui neighborhood," he wrote on Facebook, referring to the Dakar district where he lives.

Shortly after midnight, he arrived home to cheering supporters gathered outside his residence.

For many Senegalese, the split had long appeared inevitable. Sonko, a fiery opposition figure who built a devoted following among young voters through anti-establishment and pan-Africanist rhetoric, was widely seen as the architect of Pastef's rise. But he was barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election because of a defamation conviction, paving the way for Faye, his close ally and former protégé, to run in his place.

Ten days after both men were released from prison ahead of the delayed election, Faye won the presidency in a landslide and promptly appointed Sonko prime minister.

Yet power inside the new administration quickly became divided. While Sonko retained enormous influence within Pastef and among the party's grassroots supporters, Faye controlled the presidency and the constitutional authority to dismiss his government by decree.

Over recent months, tensions between the two men spilled increasingly into public view. In May, Faye publicly criticized what he called the "excessive personalization" of the ruling party around Sonko.

"As long as he remains prime minister, it is because he has my confidence," Faye said during a televised interview. "When that is no longer the case, there will be a new prime minister.”

Sonko responded by accusing the president of a "failure of leadership" and complained that Faye had not defended him against mounting criticism.

The political rupture comes at a precarious economic moment for Senegal. The country is grappling with soaring debt levels and increasingly strained public finances after the discovery of previously misreported debt figures. According to the International Monetary Fund, Senegal's debt burden has climbed to the equivalent of 132% of gross domestic product, making it one of the most indebted countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

The IMF also froze a $1.8 billion lending program after the debt discrepancies emerged, complicating efforts to stabilize the economy and reassure investors.

Earlier Friday, before his dismissal, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba warned parliament that Senegal's fuel subsidy costs could exceed the 2026 budget allocation by nearly $2 billion if global oil prices rise sharply.

Diba also disclosed that Sonko had rejected proposals to increase fuel prices, exposing divisions at the highest levels of government over how to confront the worsening fiscal crisis.

The disagreement extended beyond subsidies. Sonko had reportedly resisted discussions around restructuring Senegal's debt, which he believed international lenders, including the IMF, were pushing for. Faye, by contrast, adopted a more cautious and less confrontational tone toward international financial institutions.

The former prime minister had also sought to reshape Senegal's economic relationship with foreign powers and multinational corporations.

One of his signature initiatives was an audit of Senegal's oil, gas and mining contracts, part of a broader campaign to reclaim control over the country's natural resources. In March, Sonko declared a major gas agreement involving BP unfair and revoked 71 mining licenses.

Hours before his dismissal, Sonko reignited controversy by condemning what he described as Western attempts to "impose" homosexuality on African societies following the passage of legislation strengthening penalties for same-sex relations.

"If they have opted for these practices, it's their problem," Sonko said, referring to Western countries.  "We don't have any lessons to take from them, absolutely none."

Edited by CGTN Africa reporter Marion Gachuhi