Turkey’s Africa strategy conflicts with US foreign policy critics claim

Some analysts say that Türkiye’s massive military, commercial, Islamic diplomatic and educational expansion in Africa undermines the goals of the United States, as Ankara benefits from wars and conflicts on the continent.

Experts claim that Turkish military sales appear to depend on maximizing profit, without worrying about what the weapons sold do to the balance of power, especially in jihadist areas such as the Sahel.

Recently, multiple reports claimed that Turkish companies sold… Military drones For both sides in 3 long years Conflict in Sudan.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shake hands after a joint press conference in Ankara, Türkiye on January 27, 2026. (Ersin Erturk/Anatolia via Getty Images)

“Turkey is really taking advantage of all these conflicts in Sudan, in Ethiopia, and Somalia, to strengthen its military presence, and its diplomatic and economic commitments,” Turkish analyst Gonul Tol said at an American Enterprise Institute symposium in Washington last week. Toll, founding director of the Middle East Institute’s Turkey Program, added that Turkey is “one of the largest arms suppliers to Africa. So, if there is more chaos, it will only help Erdogan strengthen his hand.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in October that the total volume of trade with the African continent had risen from $5.4 billion in 2003, to $41 billion in 2024. State-backed Turkish Airlines was literally leading the way to Africa, he said at a trade and economic forum in Istanbul. African countries For Turkish companies, which now fly to 64 African destinations.

Erdogan told the forum that over the past two decades, “we have developed our relations side by side, shoulder to shoulder, and most importantly, heart to heart, to an unimaginable level.”

Somalis celebrate the victory of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after winning the presidential runoff elections, during celebrations organized by the government in Mogadishu, on May 29, 2023. (Hassan Ali Elmi, AFP/via Getty Images)

Drone sales to Sudan’s warring partners will only prolong the war, behavior that is directly inconsistent with U.S. policy. Just last month, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that “the United States is working with allies and others to end foreign military support to the parties, which fuels the violence.”

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“Turkish drones, marketed as cost-effective, low-friction political alternatives to US or European systems, have proliferated in African conflict zones,” Maryam Wahba, a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

She said: “Reports that Turkish companies have supplied drones to both the Sudanese Armed Forces (government) and the Rapid Support Forces (opposition militia in the conflict) underscore Ankara’s transactional approach: access and influence take precedence over stability, protection of civilians, or alignment with Western policy goals.”

The Bayraktar Akinci unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is assembled as a fleet at the Flight Training and Test Center in Istanbul, Türkiye on July 5, 2022. ((Photo by Baykar/Bulletin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images))

In a 2025 FDD report, Sinan Sidi, a senior fellow and director of the organization’s Turkey Program, wrote that “the deal between Baykar and the Sudanese Armed Forces is worth $120 million, resulting in the sale of six TB2 drones, three ground control stations, and 600 warheads.” Sidi claimed that the deal was made after the United States imposed sanctions on such sales.

Although Turkish drones were also allegedly sold to the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces militia, the company said to be involved has reportedly publicly denied making the sale. The company did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

“We refer you to the Turkish government for comment on reports regarding any Turkish companies operating in Sudan,” a State Department spokesperson said when asked by Fox News Digital about the allegations.

Fox News Digital has reached out Turkish government But did not receive any response.

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Turkish Airlines flight arrives in Mogadishu in October 2022. (Sally Hayden/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The TB2 drone sold to the Sudanese government was reportedly made by a company said to be owned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law. Experts say the cost of the TB2 is one-sixth the cost of an American Reaper drone. Fox News Digital reached out to the company, but did not receive any response.

“Costs typically range between $2 million and $5 million per aircraft, although total system packages—including ground control stations, communications systems, and training—often cost much more, sometimes as much as $5 million to $15 million per system depending on the contract. TB2 is known for its high cost efficiency, with operating costs estimated at just a few hundred dollars per hour,” US Africa Command’s African Defense Forum recently reported.

In Africa’s Sahel region in particular, Wahba of the FDD claimed that Turkey is trying to return to the principles of the Ottoman Empire, which ruled for centuries and promoted a culture of imposing a caliphate – areas where Islamic law is strictly enforced.

“On the whole, this is a worrying development that risks undermining American interests,” Wahba said. “In addition to supporting Islamic movements such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, which does not bode well for its ideological orientation, Ankara is pursuing a neo-Ottoman policy.” Foreign policy “This is already taking tangible form in parts of Africa.”

“Turkey’s arms sales across Africa are best understood not as ad hoc business transactions, but as a deliberate strategy to expand Ankara’s political, military and economic footprint on a continent increasingly contested by global and middle powers,” the FDD’s Sidi told Fox News Digital.

Gambian President Adama Barrow, left, welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, in Banjul, Gambia, Monday, January 27, 2020. Erdogan is in Gambia on a three-country African tour. (Turkish Presidency via AP, Pool)

“By exporting drones, small arms and security services to fragile states like Sudan…Erdogan’s government positions Turkey as a low-cost, low-conditions alternative to Western partners, while at the same time opening new markets for its fast-growing defense industry,” he said. “These arms transfers are designed to buy diplomatic influence, secure access to ports, bases and contracts and cultivate client relationships with regimes and militias that can advance Turkey’s regional ambitions.”

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The number of Turkish embassies operating in Africa increased from 12 in 2002 to 44 today. Wahba said that the 64 African destinations to which Turkish Airlines flies are a useful indicator. “As a state-backed airline, its rapid expansion of direct routes to African capitals reflects Türkiye’s diplomatic and security priorities. The airline operates “As a soft power and enabler of access to Ankara’s broader agenda.”

All of this should matter to Washington, Wahba claimed, “because Ankara’s model increasingly competes with, and in many cases directly undermines, US priorities regarding conflict mitigation and stabilization.”