Western failure and Russia's rise in the central Sahel

This article examines the geopolitical shift in the Sahel from Western dominance to growing Russian influence, using Mali as a case study to illuminate broader regional dynamics. From a critical geopolitical perspective, it argues that this realignment cannot be understood solely in terms of great-power competition. Rather, it is analysed as an endogenous process linked to the erosion of Malian security sovereignty following a decade of international intervention, initiated under French leadership in 2013 and preceded by earlier U.S. counterterrorism engagement.Focusing on Mali, the article shows how international military operations and UN-backed mediation, culminating in the 2015 Algiers Peace Agreement, contributed to the political and institutional legitimisation of Tuareg and Arab secessionist armed actors. By transforming these movements into recognised interlocutors and incorporating them into security governance arrangements, the intervention helped consolidate de facto authority in northern Mali (Azawad), thereby deepening the fragmentation of state control and weakening Bamako’s ability to restore full territorial sovereignty.By tracing the internal effects of intervention on the reconfiguration of territorial authority, the article contributes to critical debates on sovereignty, security governance, and geopolitical transformation from below in the Sahel.