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Unions for Sonatel, the incumbent operator of Senegal, threatened to call a strike to prevent France Telecom SA from getting a 52.2% controlling stake in the company.

On April 8, the Senegalese government announced that it had signed an agreement allowing France Telecom to buy 9.78% of the Sonatel shares that were previously held by the state. The deal would increase France Telecom's stake in Sonatel from 42.3 to 52.2 percent. Senegalese Economy Minister Abdoulaye Diop stressed that the state needed the money raised by the transaction to finance infrastructure projects and to pay the debts it has incurred with the private sector.

However, the move created uproar, with many Senegalese viewing it as a return to colonial times when the French controlled the country. The unions said they had notified the government and Sonatel that they could go on strike in the next 30 days. Sonatel union member, Mamadou Diop Aïdara said,  "We are ready to sacrifice our lives to ensure  that Sonatel remains a Senegalese company. And this battle is not just the battle of  Sonatel workers, it  is a patriotic struggle of sovereignty."