Senegal’s President Macky Sall dismissed Prime Minister Amadou Ba on Wednesday, ending a fractious power struggle that had paralysed the government for weeks. The decision, announced by the presidency in a terse statement, cited “persistent differences” over the management of the country’s economic and security agendas. Ba, a former finance minister appointed only six months ago, was seen as a potential successor to Sall before relations soured over the president’s opaque plans for the 2024 election.
Britain, which regards Senegal as a linchpin of stability in the volatile Sahel region, has watched the infighting with growing concern. A Foreign Office spokesperson said London “notes the change in government and looks to Senegal’s institutions to resolve political differences constitutionally”. The UK has deepened ties with Dakar in recent years, focusing on counter-terrorism cooperation and trade. Senegal is one of the few West African nations not to have experienced a coup since independence, and British diplomats view its democratic record as a buffer against the spread of jihadist violence from neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.
The dismissal comes amid mounting pressure on Sall, who has faced accusations of authoritarian drift. In 2021, security forces cracked down on protests against the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, leaving at least a dozen dead. Ba, a loyalist with technocratic credentials, was initially seen as a safe pair of hands to manage the economy, but his own ambitions and Sall’s reluctance to cede power created an untenable dynamic. Political analysts in Dakar suggest the feud centred on control of the state’s purse strings and the ruling coalition’s electoral strategy.
Senegal’s economy, while growing at around 5% annually, remains vulnerable to commodity price fluctuations and external debt. The IMF has warned Dakar to curb spending ahead of the election, and the political turmoil has already delayed key reforms. Britain, which exported goods worth £250 million to Senegal last year, has a strategic interest in the country’s continued stability. It is one of the largest bilateral donors to Senegal’s energy sector, backing renewable projects to help the country reduce its dependence on imported oil.
The UK’s broader Sahel strategy relies on building alliances with comparatively stable states like Senegal and Ghana, while containing the fallout from French withdrawal and Russian influence in the region. A senior Foreign Office official described Senegal as “a rare piece of good news in a neighbourhood of bad news”. The political crisis is therefore unwelcome. London will be watching for signs that Sall intends to manage the post-Ba era within constitutional norms, or whether further interventions in the judiciary and security apparatus are planned.
For now, the president has named a new prime minister: Ousmane Diop, a little-known bureaucrat from the presidential office. Diop’s appointment is widely seen as a caretaker move ahead of the next election. No date has been set for a vote, fuelling speculation that Sall may seek to postpone it, a step that would alarm Western capitals. Britain’s ambassador to Senegal, Juliette John, has been instructed to convey the UK’s expectation of a peaceful and transparent electoral process. The next 48 hours will test whether Dakar’s internal squabbling can be contained or whether it threatens Senegal’s long-standing reputation for democratic resilience.
