DAKAR, July 26 (Reuters) – 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.
(Reporting by Clement Bonnerot; Editing by Joe Bavier)
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