Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Saturday officially launched a new political party, Kiiraay, following his high-profile fallout with his former mentor and ex-Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko.
Sonko leads the Pan-Africanist party Pastef, the political platform to which both men previously belonged and which swept Faye to victory in the 2024 presidential election.
After assuming office, Faye appointed Sonko as prime minister. However, their relationship later deteriorated, culminating in Sonko’s dismissal in May.
Faye unveiled the new party, whose name means “protection” or “shield” in the Wolof language, during a packed gathering of supporters in the capital, Dakar.
Hundreds of supporters who could not gain access to the hotel conference hall waited outside in the scorching heat, waving placards and wearing decorative scarves bearing the inscription, “Vive Diomaye.”
Announcing the party, which adopts the slogan “Republican Patriots,” Faye said it was founded on the principles of “republic, ethics, transparency, fraternity and work.”
Sonko built a strong following among young Senegalese through his Pan-Africanist message during a prolonged political battle with former President Macky Sall, who governed the country from 2012 to 2024.
Together, Sonko and Faye campaigned on promises of economic transformation, social justice and a determined fight against corruption.
However, the collapse of their political alliance has become increasingly evident among their supporters.
Speaking outside the launch venue, Mamo Khady Sall, a 43-year-old supporter who travelled with 15 other women from the Dakar suburb of Yeumbeul, described Faye as “a man of peace.”
She, however, expressed such strong dislike for Sonko that she declined to mention his name.
Another supporter, Ibra Faye, a 54-year-old economist and financial engineer from Dakar, said he believes the president now has a better opportunity to implement his reform agenda.
“After two years in power, we realize that the requested changes were simply not possible under the current setup of his party,” he told AFP.
“He could not implement the policies or actions he wanted to pursue,” he added.
Addressing supporters, President Faye declared that “Kiiraay is the majority party in this country,” highlighting the presence of mayors, sector leaders and other prominent figures who attended the party’s inaugural assembly.
Although the new party has yet to contest any election, several Pastef officials and activists have recently announced their resignation from the party to join the president’s camp.
However, Yoor Yoor, a newspaper considered close to Pastef, downplayed the defections on its front page Friday, describing them as merely “a few dozen high-profile resignations” compared to what it called a “tidal wave” of new memberships into Pastef.
Faye’s communications team said Kiiraay will hold its inaugural congress after Senegal’s summer rainy season.
President Faye largely owes his rise to power to Sonko, who was widely expected to become president but was barred from contesting the 2024 election because of a defamation conviction.
The two leaders later disagreed over how to tackle Senegal’s mounting public debt and other key policy issues, leading to an irreparable split.
On May 22, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister.
Sonko’s allies swiftly elected him Speaker of Parliament, and he remains the dominant figure within Pastef, which controls 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal’s National Assembly.
In late June, the National Assembly passed legislation reducing the powers of the presidency, including a provision preventing a sitting president from leading a political party or coalition.
However, Senegal’s Constitutional Council struck down the measure less than two weeks later.
