Mali freeing 100 jihadists is not simply a sign of junta weakness but reflects a vacuum shaped by years of Western and French policy failures. Russia’s limitations are evident, yet Turkey’s drone partnerships and a potential Mali–Senegal–Mauritania counterterrorism alignment point to a more sovereign path forward — one that moves beyond the same colonial-era actors whose Operation Barkhane coincided with JNIM’s expansion. Shifting toward multipolar security cooperation is not failure, but a strategic reset.