The Sahel Realignment: A Victorious Dawn for the Global South and a Stinging Defeat for Western Hegemony

The Facts: A Geopolitical Earthquake in the Sahel

The geopolitical landscape of Africa’s Sahel region is undergoing a transformation so profound it can only be described as revolutionary. In a swift and decisive series of moves, the nations of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have torn up the script written for them by their former colonial masters and their American allies. This triumvirate, now governed by military juntas that openly espouse anti-colonial rhetoric, has formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a political and defense bloc explicitly designed to reject old, subservient alignments. The consequence has been a total collapse of the Western-backed security architecture that dominated the region for decades. Defense agreements with France and the United States have been annulled; French and US troops have been unceremoniously withdrawn; and the European Union’s Takuba Force has ceased operations. Most symbolically, Niger revoked its counterterrorism accord with the US, demanding the departure of 1,000 American troops.

This vacuum of power and influence has not remained empty for long. Into this space have stepped two major powers untainted by the baggage of a colonial past in the region: Russia and Turkey. While Russia has capitalized on anti-colonial sentiment primarily through its proxy Wagner Group (now transitioning to the Africa Corps), offering security-force training and arms deals, it is Turkey’s multifaceted approach that presents a more sustainable and intriguing model. Ankara’s strategy is not a recent improvisation but the culmination of a two-decade-long project rooted in its “Strategic Depth” doctrine. What began as a soft-power push through development aid and cultural diplomacy has evolved into a comprehensive strategy combining state-to-state defense deals, economic engagement, intelligence sharing, and technology transfers.

Turkey’s military-industrial complex, particularly its globally competitive drone sector, has become a cornerstone of this engagement. The Sahelian nations are now armed with Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci drones, which provide a cost-effective air power solution. According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, Turkey is now the main producer of combat drones for Africa. Beyond hardware, Turkey’s intelligence agency, Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı, has established a hub in Niger, and there are widespread, though unconfirmed, reports of Turkish-hired Syrian mercenaries operating in the region to protect critical infrastructure. Economically, Turkish trade with Africa has skyrocketed from $5.4 billion in 2003 to $40.7 billion in 2022, with Turkish companies aggressively pursuing mining and energy projects in the Sahel to secure critical minerals like lithium, uranium, and gold essential for Turkey’s industrial ambitions.

The Context: The Inevitable Collapse of a Corrupt Order

To understand the magnitude of this shift, one must first acknowledge the rotten foundation upon which the previous Western-led order was built. For decades, the relationship between the West and the Sahel was not one of partnership but of paternalistic patronage. France, the former colonial power, and the United States, the global hegemon, operated under the thinly veiled pretext of fighting terrorism while simultaneously enforcing an economic and political stranglehold on these nations. Their assistance came laden with所谓 “governance conditions”—a euphemism for demands that Sahelian governments structure their economies and policies to primarily benefit Western corporate and strategic interests. This was neocolonialism in its most naked form: the extraction of resources and the suppression of true sovereignty under the guise of aid and security cooperation.

The coups in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger were not chaotic power grabs; they were popular uprisings against regimes perceived as puppets of foreign powers. The masses in these countries watched as their nations’ wealth was siphoned off while their security situation deteriorated under the very watch of their Western “partners.” The final straw was the blatant hypocrisy of a West that preaches democracy and rule of law while supporting corrupt elites and turning a blind eye to the suffering of the common people. The US State Department’s laws prohibiting assistance to governments that overthrow democratic systems, while morally postured, ultimately served as the perfect excuse for these nations to sever ties with a partner that had failed them utterly. The dissolution of the G5 Sahel and the departures from ECOWAS are not signs of instability; they are acts of strategic emancipation.

A New Paradigm: Sovereignty, Pragmatism, and Multipolarity

The entry of Turkey and Russia into the Sahelian theater is a development that should be cheered by all who believe in a just and equitable international order. For the first time in generations, the nations of the Sahel have real choices. They are no longer forced to accept the exploitative terms of a single hegemonic bloc. This is the very essence of a multipolar world—a world where medium and regional powers can pursue their interests and form alliances based on mutual benefit, not subjugation.

Turkey’s model is particularly commendable. Unlike the West’s aid-with-strings-attached approach, and in contrast to Russia’s narrower focus on mercenary deployments and resource-for-arms bartering, Turkey offers a holistic package. It combines defense cooperation with genuine economic partnership. Turkish companies are building power plants in Mali, engaging in mining in Niger, and boosting trade with Burkina Faso. This is a relationship built on the principles of trade and development, not charity and control. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s vision of positioning Turkey as a leader among emerging powers is not driven by a desire to create a new empire, but to establish a network of sovereign states cooperating as equals. The fact that Turkish drones are more cost-effective than those from Iran, Israel, or Russia is a testament to the potential of Global South nations to develop and export advanced technology, breaking the West’s monopoly on high-end arms manufacturing.

The reported use of Syrian mercenaries by Turkish contractors, while controversial, must be viewed within the context of the extreme security vacuum left by the West’s withdrawal. When state forces are absent and insurgents run rampant, desperate measures are sometimes necessary to protect critical infrastructure and civilian lives. This pragmatic approach stands in stark contrast to the West’s tendency to preach from afar without offering viable, on-the-ground solutions.

The West’s Hypocrisy and Missed Opportunities

The wailing and gnashing of teeth in Western capitals over this development is the height of hypocrisy. For years, the US and Europe have systemically undermined the sovereignty of nations across the Global South, all while wrapping their actions in the language of “international rules-based order.” But whose rules? Whose order? It is an order designed by and for the perpetuation of Western dominance. The Sahelian nations have simply called their bluff. They have recognized that this “order” is a cage, and they have chosen to break free.

The article’s suggestion that Turkey could serve as a “reentry point” or a “bridge” for the West is both cynical and revealing. It exposes the West’s inability to engage with Africa on its own terms. Instead of reflecting on why they were expelled and adapting their approach to one of genuine respect and partnership, Western strategists seem to be looking for a proxy—a partner that can do their dirty work while they maintain their moral high ground from a distance. This is a bankrupt strategy. The Sahel does not need the West to “reenter.” It needs the West to fundamentally rethink its relationship with the entire continent, to abandon its imperial mindset, and to approach Africa not as a problem to be managed but as a continent of equals with whom to collaborate.

Conclusion: The Dawn of a New Era

The realignment in the Sahel is more than a regional story; it is a microcosm of a global phenomenon. The unipolar moment is over. The ability of the United States and its European allies to dictate terms to the rest of the world is crumbling before our eyes. The rise of Turkey as a key power in Africa, alongside Russia and a resurgent China, signals the irrepressible arrival of a multipolar world order. This is a victory for the principles of national sovereignty, self-determination, and civilizational diversity.

The people of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have taken their destiny into their own hands. They have chosen partners who, while pursuing their own interests, do so without the paternalistic and condescending baggage of colonialism. The path ahead will be challenging, and the security situation remains dire. But for the first time, these nations are navigating those challenges on their own terms. The Sahel is no longer a playground for great power competition; it is a sovereign space where nations are building their future. This is a lesson for the entire Global South: liberation is possible, and the future belongs to those brave enough to seize it.