Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has removed a wave of officials seen as close allies of his former Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, replacing them with new appointees across key public enterprises, agencies, and territorial administrations in Senegal, in a move that signals the deepening rupture between the country’s two most powerful political figures.
The reshuffle, endorsed at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers, marks the most sweeping restructuring yet of Senegal’s executive branch since President Faye dismissed Sonko from the position of Prime Minister on 22 May 2026.
Several officials widely regarded as loyal to Sonko had already resigned in the aftermath of his dismissal, while others, despite their known closeness to the former Prime Minister, had chosen to remain in their posts. It is this second group that President Faye has now moved against.
Key Appointments
Among the most notable changes, Aida Mbodj, coordinator of the APTE coalition (Alliance Patriotique pour le Travail et l’Éthique), an initiative launched by Sonko’s PASTEF party, has been removed as Delegate-General for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Youth (DER/FJ). She is replaced by tax expert Abdoulaye Niane.
In the strategic energy and mining sector, Ngagne Demba Touré, a very close ally to Ousmane Sonko, has been replaced as Director-General of the Senegal Mining Company (Somisen) by geological engineer and mining expert Mamady Touré.
At Petrosen Holding SA, the state oil company, Director-General Alioune Gueye, another Sonko loyalist, has been succeeded by Thierno Seydou Ly.
The changes extend to Senegal’s agricultural sector, with Cheikh Ahmeth Tidiane Guèye appointed Director-General of SONACOS, the state groundnut oil company.
Business support institutions were also affected. Management consultant Ismaïla Kébé takes over as Director-General of ADEPME, the agency supporting small and medium enterprises, while international trade expert Oumar Rémy has been named Director-General of APROSI, the industrial free zones agency.
In the sphere of social dialogue, civil administrator Faly Seck has been appointed President of the High Council for Social Dialogue.
Territorial and Sectoral Changes
The reshuffle also touched Senegal’s territorial administration and social sectors. Guédji Diouf has been posted as Governor of Kaolack, while Abdourahmane Ndiaye becomes Governor of Tambacounda.
In the cultural and academic spheres, Abdou Simbandy Diatta was named Director-General of the Museum of Black Civilizations, and Baye Mayoro Diop takes charge of the Regional Centre for University Social Works at Alioune Diop University in Bambey.
In social welfare, Cheikh Tacko Diop was appointed Delegate-General for Social Protection and National Solidarity, while Paul Joseph Ndiaye becomes Director-General of Social Action.
Wednesday’s appointments are the latest in a series of moves to come by President Faye to reshape the machinery of state since his fallout with Sonko.
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