{"id":5573,"date":"2026-05-05T20:44:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T20:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead"},"modified":"2026-05-06T00:43:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T00:43:25","slug":"why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead","title":{"rendered":"Why did the President of Senegal Warn of Hard Times Ahead?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>In his first extensive press interview in over a year, Senegalese President Basseirou Diomai Faye appeared on Saturday from the presidential palace via local television channels. In a conversation lasting more than two hours, he warned of the implications of the geopolitical crisis on the purchasing power of Senegalese citizens, redefined his relationship with Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and justified his country’s reservations about the candidacy of his predecessor Macky Sall for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations.<\/p>\n

Difficult Times Ahead<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the most significant points in the president’s speech was a direct warning that the recovery the country has experienced since he took office two years ago may soon face an external shock. He stated that the government might find itself compelled to revise its pricing policy, warning: “If the global situation continues, we will be forced to raise prices.” The president identified the source of this concern as international geopolitical tensions, particularly those related to the Iran conflict, which he believes disrupt supply chains, increase transportation costs, and unsettle energy markets.<\/p>\n

Diomai Faye acknowledged the difficulties facing the treasury and the limited access to financial markets, noting that domestic debt is nearing 600 billion CFA francs (about one billion dollars), and that the state is resorting to limited borrowing operations to settle arrears. These warnings also come after the suspension of the International Monetary Fund program. The president sought to alleviate concerns on this front, emphasizing that there is no rupture with the international financial institution and that discussions are ongoing in pursuit of a new program aligned with his government’s vision. This speech was described by a local source as an attempt to “establish a discourse of rigor and transparency” and to highlight the state’s resilience despite a heavy financial legacy and a slowdown in the construction and public works sector.<\/p>\n

It is worth noting that Diomai Faye had previously warned in a national address on April 3 of last year that the Iran conflict and tensions in the Middle East disrupt supply chains, raise transportation costs, and increase energy prices, a point he reiterated on Saturday with greater urgency, reminding Senegalese citizens that the price stability he presents as an achievement may not withstand a worsening international crisis.<\/p>\n

Conditional Relationship with Sonko<\/b><\/p>\n

In one of the most sensitive parts of the interview, the president redefined the boundaries of his relationship with his Prime Minister and ally in founding the PASTEF party. He outlined three levels to this relationship: institutional, human based on a friendship spanning about 15 years, and political. A local news agency reported Diomai Faye’s assertion that Sonko remains in his position as long as he enjoys his trust, and that the interests of Senegal take precedence over any party considerations if dissatisfaction with his performance arises.<\/p>\n

A financial news outlet noted that the president’s speech reflected rising tensions within the ruling party, as Diomai Faye warned that PASTEF could descend into collapse unless its course is corrected, considering that the party has become overly centered around the Prime Minister. He expressed his discontent with the parliamentary group of his party hastily passing amendments to the electoral law last week that would allow Sonko to run.<\/p>\n

This comes in the context of a local source describing a state of “normalization of conflict” between the two men, after Sonko had previously hinted in March that his party would withdraw from the government if the project deviated from its course. Part of this tension is attributed to differing positions on managing public debt, as the president shows flexibility towards the International Monetary Fund that the Prime Minister rejects.<\/p>\n

Macky Sall’s Candidacy for the United Nations<\/b><\/p>\n

Diomai Faye also clarified that his predecessor Macky Sall’s candidacy for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations did not reach him through official Senegalese channels, but he learned about it from four African presidents before discovering that Burundi had officially adopted the nomination. A local news agency reported the president discussing the pressures exerted on him before the 39th African Union summit in Addis Ababa in mid-February to extract a supportive position.<\/p>\n

Faye justified his country’s stance of neutrality by stating that Sall did not personally inform him and only sent an envoy, unlike former minister Amadou Hott, who followed protocol when he ran for the presidency of the African Development Bank and received state support. He indicated that Senegal would not seek to undermine the nomination but would not support it after finding himself faced with the reality.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. In his first extensive press interview in over a year, Senegalese President Basseirou Diomai Faye appeared on Saturday from the presidential palace via local television channels. In a conversation lasting more than two hours, he warned of the implications of the geopolitical crisis on the purchasing power of Senegalese citizens, redefined his relationship with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":5572,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-5573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-articles","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nWhy did the President of Senegal Warn of Hard Times Ahead? - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In his first extensive press interview in over a year, Senegalese President Basseirou Diomai Faye appeared on Saturday\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why did the President of Senegal Warn of Hard Times Ahead?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In his first extensive press interview in over a year, Senegalese President Basseirou Diomai Faye appeared on Saturday\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Africa Press English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-05T20:44:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-06T00:43:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1778028059.560997.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1556\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1167\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Why did the President of Senegal Warn of Hard Times Ahead?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-05T20:44:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-06T00:43:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead\"},\"wordCount\":783,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/africa-home\/sites\/69\/2026\/05\/sm_1778028059.560997.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Articles\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/articles\/why-did-the-president-of-senegal-warn-of-hard-times-ahead\",\"name\":\"Why did the President of Senegal Warn of Hard Times Ahead? 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