In a candid interview on national radio, Dr Abdourahmane Diouf, Senegal’s Minister of Energy and Petroleum and a founding member of the KIIRAAY – Les Patriotes Répuplicains party, delivered a scathing assessment of the internal fractures plaguing the Pastef movement. Speaking during a live broadcast, he minced no words in attributing the escalating tensions between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and the party’s erstwhile leader, Ousmane Sonko, to deliberate betrayal and political opportunism.
The minister’s remarks underscored the widening rift within Pastef, a party once united under the banner of transformative governance. Dr Diouf argued that the president’s unwavering commitment to his electoral promises had been systematically undermined by his own party’s leadership. “President Faye has remained steadfast in honoring his commitments, yet it is the very party that propelled him to power that has chosen to isolate and betray him, rendering his mandate unworkable.”
Highlighting the president’s response to this perceived disloyalty, Dr Diouf stressed that Bassirou Diomaye Faye had no choice but to assert his authority in the face of such inconsistency. The minister dismissed claims of presidential betrayal as baseless, pointing instead to the contradictory actions of Pastef’s leadership. “How can a party that accuses others of disloyalty itself harbor such contradictions? The blame lies squarely with those who, despite benefiting from the president’s leadership, have chosen to abandon their posts and undermine his vision.”
Addressing former government colleagues who have distanced themselves from the administration, Dr Diouf reminded them that their departures were voluntary. He emphasized that their absence had deprived the president of the parliamentary majority essential to advancing his policies. “They left by their own volition, not through exclusion. Their absence has weakened the very foundations of governance.”
Looking ahead, the minister extended his full support for a second term for President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, citing the need to consolidate the progress achieved during his tenure. This stance, he noted, had been a driving force behind the creation of his own political party. Dr Diouf also took aim at the internal contradictions within Pastef, where leaders often appear at odds with their own stated principles while publicly lecturing on morality.
The revelations come at a critical juncture for Senegal’s political landscape, as the nation grapples with the fallout of these divisions. Observers are closely watching how the president and his administration will navigate these challenges in the months ahead.
