Turkiye becomes a major Sahelian player
20th June 2024

In the first week of June 2024, media reports emerged that Turkiye is deploying fighters from the Free Syrian Army to Sahel West Africa, including Nigeria. This confirms what SBM Intelligence has been monitoring since December 2023. The fighters, sent to Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Togo, are allegedly guarding Turkish-operated businesses. However, their deployment raises concerns about security, stability, and approval processes.
Turkish opposition parties suspect that SADAT, the controversial private military company led by a former Turkish presidential adviser, is behind the recruitment of the ex-SNA fighters. SADAT is seen as Erdogan’s parallel army and has been involved in below-radar operations in the Middle East.
The deployment of Turkish mercenaries to Nigeria, although denied by some sources SBM spoke to, poses threats to both Nigeria and the region’s security.
At the end of April 2024, following a meeting between Niger’s defence minister Gen. Salifou Modi and Turkish Ambassador Ozgur Cinar, Niamey announced a “strengthening of defence cooperation with Turkiye,” implying an underlying acknowledgement of Turkish security presence.
States in the Western Sahel may have achieved some success in reducing Western military presence, but the replacement of the departing troops with Eastern alternatives has not proven to improve the security situation. If anything, in Niger’s case, security has worsened since the military overthrew President Mohammed Bazoum under the ostensible reason of poor security sector performance.
While the states in the region battle Islamists and allied groups for control over territories, which has been the poster child for the sovereignty crisis many face, the entry of new, state-backed entities that primarily exist to further their home state’s interests does not look good despite the publicly stated reasons. If anything, it indicates glaringly that these states have lost their raison d’etre, and in Nigeria’s case, most precariously, a testament to national and diplomatic failure.
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