In the past two decades, Turkey has been steadily raising its profile in several African countries. Turkey’s outreach in Africa is multi-faceted. It includes establishing military bases, finding a market for its defense industry, engaging in power and influence competition with other regional rivals, and looking for markets and investment opportunities for its business community and humanitarian reasons. While the first article examines Turkey’s relations with countries in Africa’s Sahel region, the second article analyzes Turkey’s military activities in Africa.
The first article analyzes Turkey’s relations with Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. In addition to a significant trade partnership, Turkey has also shown its eagerness “to cooperate with Algeria in the defense and military” sectors. When visiting Algeria in January 2020, the Turkish President tried to secure access to Algeria’s air and naval bases for Turkey’s operation in Libya. While Algeria did not commit to allowing access to its bases, it showed interest in purchasing military hardware from Turkey. Moroccan and Turkish relations are mostly based on trade and investment. Turkish companies have invested heavily in Morocco in various sectors including “construction, wholesale trade, textile, furniture, iron and steel.” However, Morocco requested to renegotiate its trade agreement with Turkey, claiming that the free trade agreement between the two countries puts it at a disadvantage. Turkey’s recent engagement with Tunisia was to ask for “logistics and strategic support in the Libyan conflict.” According to the article, this was to use Tunisia’s Cerbe airport to intervene militarily in Libya and for permission to use some military bases as logistics hubs. Like Turkey, Tunisia also supports the Government of National Accord in Libya, and this support has the potential to tilt the balance of power in Turkey’s favor. However, as the author points out, the possibility of Tunisia getting involved in the Libyan conflict is unlikely.
The second article states that during the Turkish President’s visit to the continent, he advertised military hardware manufactured by the Turkish defense industry and “sought to forge military collaboration.” The article notes that Turkey’s Africa policy is shaped by a rivalry between Turkey and its regional adversaries as evidenced by its military activities in Africa. In 2017, Turkey established a military base in Mogadishu to counter the activities of Gulf countries in the Horn of Africa. The same year, Turkey also leased Suakin Island from Sudan to build “a port for civilian and military purposes” among other things. According to the author, these actions prompted Turkey’s regional rivals Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to establish bases in the region to counter Turkey.
The article indicates that besides the Horn of Africa, Turkey has been trying to cement its presence in Libya with a military intervention and has been seeking to establish an air and naval base there. This intervention put Turkey at odds with Egypt and the UAE in Libya. Additionally, the author says that Turkey’s engagement in Libya and with former French colonies (Chad, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) has fueled tensions between Turkey and France. In July, Turkey’s Foreign Minister signed a cooperation deal on military training with Niger. The article states that this deal “sparked speculation that Turkey is seeking a military base there.” Turkey has also tried to “add a military dimension” to its relations with Chad. The author also cautions that Turkey’s policy to militarize Africa may risk Turkey’s non-military relations with various African countries.
Turkey’s opening to Africa… is becoming increasingly militarized, fueling the regional influence wars between Turkey and Qatar on one side and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and France on the other.
Source: Metin Gurcan,“Why Turkey is trying to improve its profile in the Maghreb” al-monitor, 10 July 2020. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/07/turkey-libya-tunisia-morocco-ankara-trying-improve-profile.html
Besides its geopolitical location that can serve as a logistics hub for Turkey’s Africa dossier, Algeria is the fourth-largest economy of Africa with a population of some 40 million and with significant natural gas and oil reserves. It is also the fourth-largest liquefied natural gas exporter to Turkey after Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan. In the energy field, a Turkish conglomerate reached an agreement with Algeria’s Sonatrach in 2018, to establish a petrochemical site in Adana worth $1.4 billion. Mutual contacts between the two countries for joint deep sea drilling and seismic research off the coast of Algeria are also underway.
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Turkey is also keen to cooperate with Algeria in the defense and military field, in return for its logistics support for Libya. Given its arms race with Morocco, Algeria spends some $10 billion a year and Turkey reportedly offers lucrative deals to the country. During his visit in January, President Erdogan asked Algiers to access Algeria’s air and naval bases for its operations in Libya, reiterating these offers.
Algiers is reportedly interested in Turkish-made equipment including Kirpi and Vuran model armored vehicles, products of BMC; armed drones; radars and surveillance systems; night-day vision systems; bulletproof vests; military textile and uniforms; and radios.
For Morocco, the bilateral trade with Turkey gained momentum following the free trade agreement in 2006… Turkish companies… operate in various sectors including construction, wholesale trade, textile, furniture, iron and steel…
Yet economic ties soured as the huge trade deficit in favor of Turkey has forced Rabat to ask for a reevaluation of a free trade agreement between the two countries.
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…Possible Tunisian support for Turkey on Libya can tip the balance of power in the war-torn country in favor of Libya’s Turkish-backed Government of National Accord. Turkey expressed its keenness for Tunisian logistics and strategic support in the Libyan conflict during Erdogan’s unexpected visit to Tunis in December 2019. Reportedly, Ankara particularly asked Tunisia for the use of Cerbe airport to intervene militarily in Libya and permission to use some military bases as logistics hubs…
However, Tunis’ open support for the Turkish stance over Libya seems highly unlikely given the widespread refusal of Tunisian society to get involved in the Libyan conflict…
Source: Fehim Tastekin,“Turkey’s militarized Africa opening fuels influence wars” al-monitor, 31 August 2020. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/08/turkey-africa-opening-fuels-cloud-wars-libya-somalia-niger.html
Turkey’s opening to Africa, which began as a diplomatic and humanitarian endeavor two decades ago, is becoming increasingly militarized, fueling the regional influence wars between Turkey and Qatar on one side and Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and France on the other.
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Since 2002, the number of Turkish embassies in Africa has risen from 12 to 42 and its business cooperation councils from six to 46, while the African routes of the Turkish Airlines have increased from four to 60. Drawing on this expanded network, Erdogan has moved to add military dimensions to bilateral ties. In his visits to the continent, he has not only advertised Turkish military products but also sought to forge military collaborations.
In the fall of 2017… Turkey inaugurated a $50-million military base in Mogadishu that established a new equilibrium in the Horn of Africa…
Later in the year, Sudan agreed to lease its Suakin Island to Turkey for 99 years, sparking anxiety of an “Ottoman return” to the Red Sea among rival countries. The deal involved the restoration of historical monuments on the island, once an Ottoman post, but Turkey’s plans also included the construction of a port for civilian and military purposes…
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Erdogan’s ambitions in Africa, however, have flared up anew since the signing of two critical deals with the Tripoli government in November 2019 and the ensuing Turkish military intervention in Libya. Turkey is seeking a lasting air and naval presence in Libya, a plan that if realized would further boost its Africa venture. Erdogan’s efforts to advance ties with former French colonies such as Chad, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal have already stoked the rivalry between Turkey and France.
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Libya’s southern neighbor Niger is another country on Turkey’s radar in the influence war in Africa. Cavusoglu visited Niger July 21, signing a cooperation deal on military training among others. The deal sparked speculation that Turkey is seeking a military base in Niger…
… And by militarizing its Africa policy, Turkey risks opening cracks in the network of ties it has built across the continent over the past two decades.
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