Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Wednesday formally opened a national dialogue aimed at steering the West African country through political reform and "consolidating democracy" after a series of violent crises.

The move, which the head of state launched along with his prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, comes against a backdrop of tension between Faye's administration and the opposition.

Several opposition parties boycotted the process, however, including that of former President Macky Sall, who was succeeded by Faye last year after 12 years at the helm and who accuses the authorities of persecuting his party's officials.

Faye and Sonko have promised to hold to account former leaders, notably Sall himself, accusing them of mismanagement.

Accusations of embezzlement of state resources

A clutch of legal proceedings have been launched against Sall-era officials, and a special court recently indicted five former ministers for alleged embezzlement.

Of the five, three – including Sall's brother-in-law – were incarcerated. The other two were released on parole.

Most opposition forces did, however, take part in the opening ceremony of the consultation in the new town of Diamniadio, just outside the capital, Dakar.

The consultations, presented as the fifth edition of a "National Dialogue" first initiated by Sall himself, also bring together members of civil society, unions, experts and academics.

'Strong consensus'

Topics will include overhauling the political party system, the "status" of the opposition, the revision of the sponsorship system required to be a presidential candidate and the transformation of the existing Constitutional Council into a Constitutional Court.

The goal is to create a "strong consensus to sustainably strengthen Senegalese democracy and fully guarantee the exercise of fundamental rights and freedoms", according to the government.

"These consultations offer us a unique opportunity to reflect on our political system," said Faye.

The country's recent history showed that change was needed, he added, "to remove from our electoral system all roots of disagreement, especially between the government and opposition."

Faye commits to a 'respected' opposition

Faye committed to an opposition that is "respected" and that can "freely exercise its rights in accordance with the law."

The conclusions of the consultations are expected to be submitted to Faye on June 4.

Senegal has experienced recurring conflicts in its recent history, notably during violent unrest that saw dozens of mostly young people shot dead between 2021 and 2024.

Sall, who ruled Senegal for over a decade, was long suspected of wanting to extend his rule into a third term.

Faye and Sonko's friendship

Sonko, his political rival, was declared ineligible to stand in elections last year and was jailed for several months.

But he and his right-hand man Faye were released with hundreds of other opposition supporters due to an amnesty law. Faye was elected president soon afterwards.