Youth Olympic Games in Senegal: Faye invokes continuity of the state amid tensions with Sonko

Ten days before the Youth Olympic Games open in Dakar on October 31, 2026, Bassirou Diomaye Faye defended continuity of the state in an interview with the daily Le Soleil. He recalled that Senegal was awarded the Games in 2018, under Macky Sall, and that they belonged to the country rather than to any one leader. The interview comes as a 72-hour general strike begins and tensions persist between Faye and Ousmane Sonko, whom he dismissed as prime minister in May. Faye defended spending on the event, cited lasting facilities built with the funding, and urged Senegalese people to attend, noting that 200,000 tickets had been distributed to schools and associations.