Is the Sahel redefining its security? African agency, private military companies, and the changing face of security partnerships

Abstract

This research article examines three interrelated questions: whether the use of the Wagner Group signals the end of the anti-mercenary norm; how some African states are using these companies to assert sovereignty and shape security partnerships; and what the broader geopolitical implications are of incorporating PMCs into national security frameworks in the Sahel. The analysis finds that the long-standing ban on mercenary activities has, in practice, been replaced by a new normative framework that accepts the dual use of private military forces in both offensive and defensive roles, where local circumstances allow. This shift, as the analysis demonstrates, leverages growing African agency and reflects the strategic recalibration of certain African states, which are moving away from Western security models towards arrangements they consider more consistent with local geopolitical, historical, and socio-economic imperatives. Concluding that the anti-mercenary norm is effectively dead and that agency through PMCs is emerging, the author highlights the need for robust Africa-centred frameworks to protect local populations from the unintended consequences of PMC involvement and calls for a reassessment of global security governance to address the emerging power dynamics of multiple partners.