France’s military exit from the Sahel didn’t leave a vacuum—it exposed one. As Russian operatives, Turkish drones, and Gulf aid flood the region, violence has only intensified. The era of Françafrique has ended, but what follows is a scramble, not a solution. This article explores the fractured aftermath, the foreign agendas now shaping the Sahel, and the urgent case for African-led security built on legitimacy, not foreign leverage.