Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has launched a new political party, formalising his break with former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and the ruling Pastef party that swept him to power in 2024.
Faye unveiled his Kiiraay — Republican Patriots party at a gathering in the capital, Dakar, on Saturday, describing it as “the majority party in this country”. Kiiraay means “shield” in the local Wolof language.
Faye and Sonko, once the twin faces of Senegal’s anti-establishment movement, have been engaged in a months-long power struggle.
Faye dismissed Sonko in May, but Sonko later became speaker of the National Assembly and remains the leader of Pastef, which retains a large majority in parliament.
Senegal is grappling with a crisis stemming from the revelation of misreported debt under the previous government.
