Dr James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr, a lecturer at UPSA and CEO of CenCES, has linked the latest violent attacks in Mali to broader geopolitical competition in the Sahel, warning that external influence is shaping the region’s evolving security crisis.

He made the comments following the coordinated insurgent assault on April 25, 2026, which targeted several military and state installations in Mali and reportedly led to the killing of the country’s Defence Minister.

According to Dr Bomfeh, the situation cannot be fully understood without examining the role of external actors in the region’s political and security dynamics.

“The Russians were believed to have helped all the coup makers in these three countries,” he claimed, referring to Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

The three Sahel states, all currently under military rule, have in recent years distanced themselves from ECOWAS and strengthened alternative security and diplomatic partnerships.

Speaking on the AM show, Dr Bomfeh said the region is now caught in a broader global contest involving Western powers, Russia, and China, each seeking strategic influence.

“We are in the geopolitics of East versus West… America versus Russia and China,” he said.

His remarks come amid continued debate over the presence of Russian-linked security contractors in parts of the Sahel, which some governments have turned to for counterinsurgency support.

He cautioned that African states must be careful not to allow external alliances to override local accountability and long-term stability.