Mbour: Diomaye Faye's chief of staff settles scores with Pastef

At his political comeback rally held this Sunday in Mbour, the Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic, Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro, broke his silence with unprecedented vehemence. The leader of the Kiiraay – Les Patriotes Républicains party openly attacked his former PASTEF colleagues, whom he accused of having "destroyed the project." Taking sole defense of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, whom he considers "many times better than his detractors," he also dismissed accusations concerning his lifestyle while launching a political battle for control of the Mbour department.

“They destroyed the PASTEF project!” Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro, Chief of Staff to President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, didn't mince words at his political comeback this Sunday in Mbour. The President's Chief of Staff didn't hold back. Between revelations, sharp barbs against his former party colleagues, and an unwavering defense of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the leader of Kiiraay – The Republican Patriots launched a scathing attack.

He clearly had a lot on his mind and held almost nothing back. In front of his activists mobilized for his political comeback, Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro gave a real political exposé, mixing childhood memories, religious, sporting and activist background, personal confidences and frontal attacks against those he accuses of distorting the initial project of PASTEF.

A former cell leader of the party founded by Ousmane Sonko, the chief of staff to the President of the Republic now seems to have definitively turned the page. To those who continue to target him since his involvement with Kiiraay, he offers a scathing retort.

“Everything PASTEF says bad about me today pushes me to never want to benefit from the favors of politics,” he declared, denouncing the smear campaigns of which he believes he is a victim.

In a particularly virulent outburst, Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro accused some of his former companions of having betrayed the spirit of the political project they claim to defend.

“I’m not saying this to the people who keep spreading lies and falsehoods. They are doing their job. They have destroyed the PASTEF project. I’m saying this for those young people who believe in them and follow them,” he asserts.

Looking back on the "years of turmoil", he recalled his political commitment which predates his political family's rise to power.

“In 2017, I was installed as cell president in the neighborhood. In 2011, we opened a mutual aid society for the women of the neighborhood. Even before political activism, I was trained in Islamic activism,” he emphasized.

For him, some of today's moralizers were nowhere to be seen when political struggle demanded sacrifices.

“There are people who are talking now, but when things were difficult, nobody was there. Only Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye had the courage, that’s why he went to prison,” he asserted.

" Diomaye is N times better than his detractors"

But it was especially in the defense of the head of state that tensions rose. Faced with criticism aimed at Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro brought out the big guns.

"Those who criticize the president should know that he is N times better than them," he said.

To give more weight to his claim, he brought up old statements by Ousmane Sonko himself.

“President Diomaye is more upright, more virtuous, more just and more hardworking. These are not my words, but those of Ousmane Sonko when everything was going well,” he recalled, in a barely veiled allusion to the current political tensions.

Also dismissing accusations relating to the alleged privileges of his position, including the management of political funds, the chief of staff was keen to set the record straight.

“I do not benefit from the political funds that are being discussed. I drive the vehicle that my predecessor drove. I do not own a house,” he retorted.

He also denounced the criticism surrounding the management of diplomatic passports, particularly those granted to religious leaders, believing that the presidential function sometimes requires acting discreetly.

“The role of president is a thankless one. We do many good things that we do not reveal because good deeds must be shrouded in discretion ,” he explained.

" A Barro cannot be a billionaire"

In response to personal attacks, Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro also invoked his family heritage to refute any ambition for personal enrichment.

“My parents did not leave any wealth on earth. A Barro cannot be a billionaire. The money will pass through our hands, but will not remain. It is a prayer from our ancestors,” he confided.

He warned his detractors that attacks and attempts to discredit him would not deter his new political party from its course: "Kiiraay will grow as it should, and no one can stop it."

Mbour : Kiiraay launches the battle against PASTEF

Beyond this verbal offensive, this political comeback sounds like a declaration of electoral war in the department of Mbour, the homeland of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

After its official launch on July 25 at the King Fahd Palace, Kiiraay now intends to cover the ground and challenge PASTEF for political control of this strategic department.

Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro also wants to give this achievement a social dimension. He has announced a training program that should benefit 200 young people, 1,000 maritime professionals, and 500 women in various trades over the next six months. This is Kiiraay's way of trying to translate political mobilization into concrete actions for the benefit of the people.

In Mbour, Ousmane Abdoulaye Barro's message was unequivocal: he no longer intends to endure attacks from his former comrades without retaliating. Between his declared loyalty to President Diomaye Faye, his complete break with his former allies, and his ambition for electoral victory, the chief of staff has opened a new political front: "I am launching my political activities starting today."

In the home department of the head of state, the battle between Kiiraay and PASTEF now promises to be fought without restraint.