The launch of the Silencing the Guns (STG) in Africa initiative in 2013 by the African Union (AU) highlighted that conflict is a major obstacle in achieving Africa’s Agenda 2063 and overall development. However, with the initiative’s original 2020 deadline missed, concerns have surfaced regarding the feasibility of the new 2030 target, especially as numerous African countries continue to grapple with persistent violent conflicts. As debates around the challenges hindering the implementation of the STG expand, this chapter aims to contribute to the ongoing discussions by using a post-colonial theoretical approach to analyse the new geopolitical scramble for dominance in Africa. The strategic manoeuvres of global powers such as China, the United States (US), France, and Russia are reshaping the African landscape, with far-reaching consequences on the continent’s security architecture. Focusing on the Sahel region, this chapter employs a systematic analysis of openly accessible documents to analyse Russia’s competition with France and the US for influence in Africa. It finds that the race for influence, resources, and strategic advantages on the continent among these powerful nations is undermining national sovereignty and the AU’s peace efforts in various African countries. Thus, the chapter underscores the urgent need for African leaders to reassess the benefits and drawbacks of their relationships with external powers and to exert pressure on some of these actors to cease their destabilising actions if crucial aspirations such as the STG are to be achieved. Only through such decisive actions can African nations hope to achieve lasting peace, stability, and security for their people.