Alioune Badara Coulibaly criticizes the Diomaye-Sonko duo: "The promised paradise has become hell"

The spokesperson for the Alliance for the Republic (APR), Alioune Badara Coulibaly, launches a scathing attack on the regime of Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. In an opinion piece entitled "Sonko-Diomaye: From promised paradise to hell," he denounces a governance marked, according to him, by the halting of several projects, economic paralysis, and infighting at the highest levels of government.

The Thilmakha-Baba Garage road has become a symbol of the failings that Alioune Badara Coulibaly attributes to the current regime. “Even those close to the government can no longer remain silent. This morning, on RFM radio, during the Wolof-language broadcast, the mayors of Baol vehemently protested the halt in construction of the Thilmakha-Baba Garage road, a project launched under President Macky Sall. This road, financed by the Senegalese state, was intended to open up the entire Baol, Cayor, and Djolof regions.”

Unfortunately , since the advent of the new regime, the people have been abandoned amidst the dust and potholes. There isn't a single piece of machinery to be seen on the site. And as for the construction work, forget about it. It has been completely at a standstill for almost three years now,” denounces Alioune Badara Coulibaly.

For him, the statement from these local elected officials carries particular significance. He believes their criticisms constitute a particularly strong rebuke, especially since they come from mayors belonging to the presidential camp. He presents this situation as proof of unease even within the ranks of the government.

“It would have been considered politics if the opposition had made the observation to Diomaye-Sonko. Except that here, it’s the regime’s mayors, the very ones who are supposed to defend the government, who are kicking up a fuss to deplore the government’s lack of expertise and incompetence. A total repudiation of local elected officials, thus embodying a blatant failure and widespread despair, after the Pastef-System promised the Senegalese people the moon and the stars to gain power. Sonko and Diomaye have brought this country’s development to a complete halt. They’ve stopped the economy, disrupted schoolchildren, patients going to the hospital, and women processing local products,” he said bitterly.

In his particularly scathing indictment, Alioune Badara Coulibaly condemns what he considers a lack of vision and experience at the head of state. He accuses Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko of being more preoccupied with their political differences and the prospects of the 2029 presidential election than with the country's economic and social emergencies.

He paints a totally bleak picture of the governance of the current regime which, according to him, consists of "institutional gridlock, halts in the construction of roads, bridges, construction sites and all other forms of infrastructure and public buildings".

Thus, according to Mr. Coulibaly, Senegal has clearly been "forgotten by the 'interns in power' since 2024. These individuals are more preoccupied with their internal squabbles and the 2029 election. Their rule, therefore, enshrines the reign of mediocrity, the promotion of incompetence, and the destruction of moral values and ethics. Above all, they are leading the Republic into profound disarray."

Never before has our country experienced such social and economic misery due to the personal ambition of two men, their complete lack of vision, their lack of sense of duty to the state, and their cynicism, all against a backdrop of irrepressible demagoguery. The promised paradise has become hell on all levels, particularly on the economic level.

The APR spokesperson also addressed the tensions between the head of state and his former prime minister, which he considers detrimental to the functioning of the state apparatus and to Senegal's financial stability. He specifically cited the $2.2 billion program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which he believes is threatened by this crisis at the highest level.

Faced with this situation, Alioune Badara Coulibaly is calling for a strong political decision to preserve the public interest. According to him, the President of the Republic must take responsibility, even if it means distancing himself from his inner circle when they obstruct the country's interests.

"Our opinion is that a good leader, as someone once said, must know how to be ungrateful, even to his friends, when they stand in the way of the general interest. It is a mark of greatness in a statesman. We have hit rock bottom these last two years. Now, we can only try to keep our heads above water. Fortunately..." he declared.