Mali says over 200 fighters killed in military operation
Al JazeeraMAY 2022
When the West abandons its duties in the Sahel, as France did by moving out of Mali, geopolitical foes like Russia take their place, further threatening the region and its partners. Before the Sahel region can grow politically and economically, the West must help secure these vulnerable populations' physical and territorial safety, otherwise the effects of its continued instability will be felt far beyond the African continent.
After consistently failing to bring peace to the continent, African nations such as Mali and Burkina Faso have finally realized that Western Europe and the US are not their allies. It's interesting, then, that while the West propagates fear over Eastern states like Russia, Sahel countries choose to do business with those same global powers. Africa is no longer a toy for Western governments to play with, as evident through their recent geopolitical decisions.