Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye launched a new political party called Kiiraay-The Republican Patriots at an event in Dakar on July 26, 2026. The move makes official his break with former ally Ousmane Sonko and gives Faye a political party of his own, separate from the one the two men once shared, PASTEF (Al Jazeera).

Here is how the two men got here. Faye won the 2024 presidential election as the candidate of PASTEF (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity). He ran instead of Sonko because Sonko, who founded PASTEF and was its most popular figure, was barred from competing. The two had been a team: Sonko was the charismatic public face, and Faye was the behind-the-scenes expert who handled policy details. Now Faye has replaced that partnership with a party built around himself and the presidency.

The party's name is meaningful. "Kiiraay" means "shield" in Wolof, Senegal's most widely spoken language (CGTN Africa). The full name, Kiiraay-The Republican Patriots, pairs that protective image with a focus on institutions — meaning the formal structures of government like parliament, courts, and the civil service, rather than the personal power of a single leader. Faye told supporters the party would be guided by "ethics" and "transparency" (Al Jazeera).

The falling-out between Faye and Sonko has been building since late May 2026, when Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister and dissolved the government. After that, Sonko said PASTEF would not join the new cabinet (Al Jazeera). That ended the power-sharing deal that had defined the first part of Faye's presidency. Launching Kiiraay makes the split official at the party level: Faye now has his own party, and PASTEF stays under Sonko's control.

Faye has kept governing through the normal channels of the state. The Senegalese Council of Ministers met on July 1, 2026, at the Palais de la République (Presidence.sn), and again on July 16 (Presidence.sn). On July 10, Faye met with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (Presidence.sn), signalling that Senegal's dealings with the outside world are continuing even as its domestic politics shift.

The broader context is that the coalition that brought Faye to power in 2024 was always a loose alliance held together by a shared desire to challenge the old political order. Once they won, the question of who would actually be in charge exposed the cracks. Sonko's removal from the prime minister's job and PASTEF's exit from government left Faye without a party machine of his own. Kiiraay fills that gap. By framing the party around institutions rather than personalities, Faye is drawing a clear contrast with PASTEF's more populist style, which relied heavily on Sonko's personal appeal.

Several things are now at stake. First, the breakup of the 2024 reform coalition raises the question of whether Faye can keep the voters that PASTEF mobilised, or whether they will follow Sonko instead. Second, Faye's talk of "ethics" and "transparency" sets expectations that Kiiraay will deliver on governance in a Senegalese economy still facing deep challenges. Third, the split changes the balance of power in parliament: PASTEF's lawmakers and any future Kiiraay-aligned legislators will need to work out whether they cooperate or compete.

What comes next depends on whether Kiiraay can turn the authority of the presidency into a real party organisation on the ground. The coalition that won in 2024 succeeded because it captured a broad mood of dissatisfaction with the old government. A governing party needs different things: local branches, candidates, and proof that a steady, institution-focused approach can energise voters as effectively as the populist energy that first brought Faye to office. Sonko still has PASTEF's organisational strength and a track record of rallying supporters. Senegal's political landscape now has two competing centres where there was recently just one.