Turkey's growing reach in Africa seen complicating US strategy, analysts warn

Turkey’s monolithic military, trade, Islamic diplomacy and acquisition enlargement into Africa is, immoderate analysts say, undermining U.S. goals, arsenic Ankara capitalizes connected wars and conflicts connected the continent.

Experts assertion Turkey’s subject income look to beryllium based connected maximizing profit, without worrying astir what the arms sold bash to the equilibrium of power, peculiarly successful Jihadist areas specified arsenic the Sahel.

Recently, aggregate reports claimed Turkish companies person sold military drones to some sides successful the 3-year-long conflict successful Sudan.

TURKEY SAYS SYRIA USING FORCE IS AN OPTION AGAINST US-BACKED FIGHTERS WHO HELPED DEFEAT ISIS

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shingle hands aft a associated property league successful Ankara, Turkey connected Jan. 27, 2026.  (Ercin Erturk/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"Turkey is truly capitalizing connected each these conflicts successful Sudan, successful Ethiopia, successful Somalia, to fortify its subject presence, its diplomatic and economical engagements," Turkey expert Gönül Tol, told an American Enterprise Institute seminar successful Washington past week. Tol, founding manager of the Middle East Institute's Turkey program, added that the state is "one of the top, apical weapons providers to Africa. So if determination is much chaos, that volition lone assistance Erdogan fortify his hands."

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated in October that wide commercialized measurement with the African continent has changeable up from $5.4 cardinal successful 2003, to $41 cardinal successful 2024. He told a concern and economical forum successful Istanbul that the state-backed bearer Turkish Airlines is virtually starring the mode into African countries for Turkish companies, present flying to 64 African destinations.

Erdogan told the forum that implicit the past 2 decades, "we person precocious our relations manus successful hand, enarthrosis to shoulder, and astir importantly, heart-to-heart, to a level that could not adjacent beryllium imagined."

Somalis observe the triumph of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan aft helium won the statesmanlike run-off predetermination during the celebrations organised by the authorities successful Mogadishu, connected May 29, 2023. (Hassan Ali Elmi AFP/ Via Getty images)

Drone income to Sudan’s warring partners would lone prolong the war, behaviour which is straight against U.S. policy. Just past month, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that ‘the U.S. is moving with allies and others to bring an extremity to outer subject enactment to the parties, which is fueling the violence."

RISING ISIS THREATS TO US HOMELAND DRIVE AFRICOM AIRSTRIKES AGAINST TERRORISTS IN SOMALIA

"Turkish drones, marketed arsenic cost-effective and politically low-friction alternatives to U.S. oregon European systems, person proliferated crossed African struggle zones," Mariam Wahba, probe expert astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

"Reporting that Turkish firms supplied drones to some the Sudanese (government) Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (the opposing militia successful the conflict) underscores Ankara’s transactional approach: entree and power instrumentality precedence implicit stability, civilian extortion oregon alignment with Western argumentation objectives," she said.

Bayraktar Akinci unmanned aerial conveyance (UAV), are brought unneurotic arsenic a fleet astatine Flight Training and Test Center successful Istanbul, Turkey connected July 5, 2022.  ((Photo by BAYKAR/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

In a 2025 FDD report, Sinan Siddi, elder chap and manager of the organization’s Turkey Program, wrote, "The woody betwixt Baykar and SAF is worthy $120 million, resulting successful the merchantability of six TB2 drones, 3 crushed power stations, and 600 warheads."  Siddi claimed the woody took spot aft the U.S. placed sanctions connected specified sales.

Although Turkish drones are besides claimed to person been sold to Sudan’s RSF militia, the institution said to person been progressive is reported to person publically denied making the sale. The institution did not respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment.

A State Department spokesperson, erstwhile asked by Fox News Digital astir the allegations said, "We notation you to the Government of Turkey for remark connected reports related to immoderate Turkish firms operating successful Sudan."

Fox News Digital reached retired to the Turkish government but received nary response.

TRUMP OVERHAULS US ARMS SALES TO FAVOR KEY ALLIES, PROTECT AMERICAN WEAPONS PRODUCTION

A Turkish Airlines formation arrives successful Mogadishu successful Oct. 2022.  (Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The TB2 drone reportedly sold to the Sudanese authorities is made by a institution said to beryllium owned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law. Experts accidental the TB2 is one-sixth the outgo of a U.S. Reaper drone. Fox News Digital reached retired to the company, but received nary response.

The U.S. Africa Command’s Africa Defense Forum precocious reported it "typically costs between $2 cardinal and $5 cardinal per aircraft, though full strategy packages — including crushed power stations, connection systems, and grooming — often outgo importantly more, sometimes reaching $5–$15 cardinal per strategy depending connected the contract. The TB2 is recognized for its precocious cost-efficiency, with operational costs estimated astatine lone a fewer 100 dollars per hour."

Particularly successful Africa’s Sahel region, the FDD’s Wahba claimed Turkey is trying to instrumentality to the principles of its Ottoman Empire, which ruled for centuries and promoted the civilization of imposing caliphates – areas wherever Islamic instrumentality is strictly enforced.

Wahba said, "On the whole, this is simply a worrying improvement that risks undermining U.S. interests. In summation to backing Islamist movements specified arsenic Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, which does not bode good for its ideological orientation, Ankara is pursuing a neo-Ottoman foreign policy that is already taking factual signifier crossed parts of Africa." 

"Turkey’s arms income crossed Africa are champion understood", the FDD’s Siddi told Fox News Digital, "not arsenic advertisement hoc commercialized transactions, but arsenic a deliberate strategy to grow Ankara’s political, subject and economical footprint connected a continent progressively contested by planetary and mediate powers."

Gambia's President Adama Barrow, rleft, welcomes Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, successful Banjul, Gambia, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. Erdogan is successful Gambia connected a three-nation Africa tour.  (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)

He said, "By exporting drones, tiny arms and information services to fragile states specified arsenic Sudan… the Erdogan authorities positions Turkey arsenic a low-cost, low-conditionality alternate to Western partners, portion simultaneously opening caller markets for its rapidly increasing defence industry. These weapons transfers are designed to bargain diplomatic leverage, unafraid entree to ports, bases and contracts and cultivate lawsuit relationships with regimes and militias that tin beforehand Turkey’s determination ambitions."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The fig of embassies Turkey operates successful Africa has rocketed from 12 successful 2002, to 44 today. Wahba said the 64 African destinations Turkish Airlines flies to is simply a utile indicator. "As a state-backed carrier, its accelerated enlargement of nonstop routes into African capitals mirrors Turkey’s diplomatic and information priorities. The hose functions arsenic a soft-power and entree enabler for Ankara’s broader agenda."

Wahba claimed this each should substance for Washington, "because Ankara’s exemplary progressively competes with, and successful galore cases straight undercuts, U.S. priorities connected struggle mitigation and stability."