Earlier this month, a Turkish delegation consisting of the foreign, defense, energy and trade ministers, along with the country’s intelligence chief, visited Niger. It was continuous in the visit of Nigerian Prime Minister Ali Lamine Zeine in Ankara two months ago.
The two states undersigned a statement on encouraging Turkish companies to invest in oil and gas fields in Niger and discussed ways to strengthen defense and intelligence cooperation between the two countries.
What Turkey’s involvement in Niger means for the region and beyond, given that Niger’s military junta has ordered the United States to withdraw its military personnel from the country and expelled France?
This visit is likely to mark a turning point in Turkish-West African relations. Ankara has long shown interest in West Africa, but until recently was relatively reserved.
Turkey’s military cooperation with the countries of West Africa and the Sahel was previously aimed at securing their support for resolving the crisis in Libya. Several years ago, Turkey pledged $5 million to strengthen the regional fight against terrorism.
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Military cooperation with many West African countries existed at different levels, including military training. Turkey signed military cooperation agreements with Niger in 2020Togo in 2021 and Senegal in 2022. These developments marked the beginning of a new era in Ankara’s security relations with West Africa.
However, Ankara’s soft and hard power strategies focused on strengthening bilateral ties and monitoring regional developments. As with Turkey’s experience in East Africa, however, Ankara now sees West Africa as an opportunity to dominate and shape developments.
A reliable partner
Until recently, Ankara seemed to compete with international partners already present in the region. of Turkey rivalry with France for Libya, alongside the crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean, have increased tensions between Paris and Ankara, making even European partners reluctant to work with Turkey in Africa.
This period has now ended. Ankara is seen as a potential reliable partner for West African countries in crisis.
His main focus now is Niger. Ankara’s strategic approach to Africa is to focus on one country as a whole and then exert influence on the region as a whole. He has done it in Somalia and East Africa, becoming a key player and mediator in regional crises.
Other countries would do well to learn from Ankara’s visionary, inclusive and rapid response policies towards West Africa
Turkey’s Niger initiative is multidimensional and covers the economic, security, defense and energy sectors, which could help end Niger’s international isolation. Niger sees Turkey as a way out, as Somalia did in the past.
Ankara’s strong presence in the region, and specifically in Niger, also has potential for the recovery of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), which has long been an ambitious and relatively successful player in the political sphere and the sphere security of West Africa.
Indeed, Ecowas was on its way to setting the example of an influential group for other regional organizations on the continent. But this stopped in the last days with the establishment of a new alliance among several countries affected by the coup, including Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali.
While this poses an existential threat to Ecowas, Turkey’s good relations with all bloc countries may help facilitate the reintegration of the latter three.
Mediation efforts
Moreover, as a top diplomat from the region told me, many West Africans believe it is better to have Turkish troops on the ground than Russian forces, given Ankara’s security and military ties to the West.
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In addition, Turkey’s sincere, heartfelt and long-term mediation efforts, which have become visible recently in East Africa through Turkey’s role in Somalia-Ethiopia Conversationscould potentially be replicated in West Africa, given its favorable relations with countries across the region.
While Russia has also shown an interest in influencing developments in the Sahel regionespecially after the military coups in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, Moscow remains preoccupied with the war in Ukraine – and the future of Russian influence through the Wagner Group in Africa is uncertain.
The case of Turkey shows how a country with medium economic and political power can establish itself as an important factor in a distant region to influence developments.
As global turmoil and regional conflicts paralyze states across Africa, other countries would do well to learn from Ankara’s visionary, inclusive and rapid response policies towards West Africa in an effort to diversify their own corporate relations with emerging powers.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.