Sonko–Diomaye : l’Aventure ambiguë (Par Abdoulaye Dieng)
Senegal's political history is going through an unprecedented, almost bewildering moment, reminiscent in many ways of Cheikh Hamidou Kane's Ambiguous Adventure: an internal tension, a fragile coexistence between two loyalties that are both distinct and inextricably linked. As in the novel, two paths advance together, driven by different natures: one towards a certain continuity, the other towards rupture.
This tension is embodied today at the top of the State through the tandem Bassirou Diomaye Faye – Ousmane Sonko, united by a common project, but installed in an unprecedented political configuration.
If, in a previous contribution, I was able to see in Sonko a modern messiah, I now had to examine the complexity of the pact he shares with Diomaye, where hope confronts the realities of power — as Samba Diallo confronted the collision between tradition and modernity.
Diomaye embodies appeasement and institutional continuity. As elected president, head of the armed forces, and guardian of the Constitution, he represents the State in its verticality.
Facing him, Sonko remains the architect of the project, the bearer of a long struggle, an assumed break and a strong popular legitimacy.
It is in this duality that the central ambiguity lies: legal legitimacy and political legitimacy no longer overlap. The people elected Diomaye, but Sonko remains the driving force behind the project—a program championed by their party, Pastef, and overwhelmingly endorsed by the Senegalese people.
This situation demands lucidity, loyalty and clarity, in a context where the challenges are numerous: insecurity at the borders, a suffering economy, worrying debt, demands for justice, absence of structured opposition.
The ambiguity stems further from the fact that Diomaye did not emerge from a conventional process: he was appointed by Sonko when the latter was prevented from running. His election represents both a rejection of the system and a transfer of legitimacy. Two forms of legitimacy coexist, without having been fully clarified.
Hence an essential question: what is the State?
We imagine it as rigid and formal. But the state is a living organism, shaped by social forces and popular will. Elections do not simply perpetuate an old order; they transform the state.
It is legitimacy that shapes the state, not the other way around.
In March 2024, the Senegalese people brought about a new state, entrusted not to one man, but to a tandem: Diomaye presides, Sonko governs. This was neither an accident nor an anomaly, but a deliberate political choice. Diomaye himself, from his very first statements, gave the impression of understanding the transitional and historic nature of this moment, emphasizing Sonko's central role in the project's structure.
The Senegalese people, for their part, know what they want. They fought to take back control of their destiny and will no longer accept outdated, established orders leading them astray. March 24th did not simply punish a regime; it affirmed a collective will to regain control of their future.
Therefore, one question remains:
Diomaye, who seems to have grasped the nature of this mission, is he ready to see it through to the end?
Can he resist the pressure of a vertical presidential model, when the people have chosen, by force of circumstance, a form of political duality?
And if this cohesion were to break down, shouldn't we consider, out of loyalty to the people, a new election?
As in Ambiguous Adventure, ambivalence always seeks a resolution. However, history shows that uncontrolled ambiguity often ends up destroying one of the two opposing forces. But Senegal cannot afford another fracture: the urgent needs are too great, the expectations too high.
We have, however, a rare partnership, two different forces, but stemming from the same project. This venture could become a historic opportunity for our country, a unique model of governance. But if it is neither clarified nor embraced, it risks turning into a major rupture.
It is up to Sonko-Diomaye to manage the contradictions of this adventure, and up to us to ensure, without ambiguity, that it does not dethrone either their pact or our collective hope.
Abdoulaye Dieng, Entrepreneur
Commentaires (7)
Par la suite, sournois comme il est, Diomaye envoie son exécutant chargé des basses besognes, son « monsieur spécialiste en tout », Cheikh Omar Diagne, aller jusqu’à insulter les tarihas pour empêcher Sonko d’obtenir sa majorité.Plus lâche et plus traître que Diomaye, il n’y en a pas qui marchent sur cette terre… Et venant de lui, ce n’est malheureusement pas étonnant.
Ne vous transformez pas en non̈ ctoyants
Participer à la Discussion
Règles de la communauté :
💡 Astuce : Utilisez des emojis depuis votre téléphone ou le module emoji ci-dessous. Cliquez sur GIF pour ajouter un GIF animé. Collez un lien X/Twitter ou TikTok pour l'afficher automatiquement.