Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Tuesday deplored the persistent "divisive factors" within the presidential coalition, amid uncertainty about the state of his relations with Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.

Mr. Faye also announced that, at the beginning of September, he had terminated the functions of Aïda Mbodj, a close associate of Mr. Sonko who had until then been the coordinator of the "Diomaye President Coalition", in a text entitled "information letter" to the formations of this political structure which brought the Senegalese head of state to power during the presidential election of March 2024.

He appointed former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, whose relations with Prime Minister Sonko are reportedly going through a difficult period with the press, to reorganize the presidential coalition in place of Ms. Mbodj.

Mr. Sonko, head of Pastef, the main party in this coalition, reaffirmed his support for Ms. Mbodj at a large rally in Dakar on Saturday, dismissing any upcoming changes at the head of the group.

"Lethargia and factors of division persist despite the pronounced interest aroused by the Diomaye President Coalition," the head of state explains in this letter.

Mr. Sonko had spoken on Saturday about his relationship with President Faye and warned those who, according to him, are trying to create a rift between them, without naming names.

"Some are hoping for a falling out between Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Anything can happen in life. But what could separate us will not come from me and I presume it will not come from him either," he said.

Since the 2024 presidential election, Senegal has been in a unique situation, with a president who owes his position to his prime minister, to whom the seat would certainly have gone if his candidacy had not been invalidated by the courts.

Longtime allies, Sonko and Faye formed a team that raised many hopes in the country, especially among young people, after their triumph at the end of three years of a joint struggle against the power of President Macky Sall (2012-2024), which led to their imprisonment.

Mr. Faye had appointed Mr. Sonko as head of government after his election.