Abstract
Over the years, the Sahel region has become increasingly exposed to hybrid and transnational threats. Such environment has demonstrated potential to alter political and economic balances in world politics, leading both African and non-African countries to develop strategies to contain and prevent such critical situation. Among the actors involved in the region, the Russian Federation has increased its efforts to improverelationships with African countries. Especially in the Sahel, Moscow emphasised its influence through the presence of the notorious private military company, the Wagner Group, which represents at the moment one of the most influential strategies adopted by the Kremlin in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current analysis aims atbetter understanding the role of the Wagner Group by focusing on one of the most unstable regions in the African continent. By analysing the case of Mali, it will be possible to draw an initial analysis on how Moscow seeks to gain much more influence in the African continent. Being the Sahel an important theatre of great power competition, the Wagner Group places itself in a region where other countries and internationalentities already tried to bring stability, without any success. However, many episodes of violence against civilians in which Wagner was involved have further destabilised the region, letting Sahelian jihadists groups gain much more support and resilience over the territory.