The “Sahel Trio” in Turkey’s Foreign Policy: Discourses, Instruments and Prospects

In the early 2020s, the countries of the “Sahel Trio” (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger) experienced a series of military coups, bringing elite groups to power, including those utilizing anti-Western narratives. This created an opportunity for non-Western actors to expand their influence in the Sahel, which the Republic of Türkiye is most dynamically seeking to capitalize on. Ankara’s foreign policy “probing” of the African continent had begun as early as the 2000s, with the establishment of a diplomatic platform within the “Türkiye-Africa” summits. By the 2010s, Türkiye began to show a more focused interest in the Sahel, laying the legal and regulatory groundwork for future cooperation, which would serve as a springboard for deeper regional engagement in the early 2020s. It is worth noting that, during the 2010s, Ankara primarily emphasized mechanisms of public diplomacy and trade-economic cooperation, while also partially supporting initiatives led by Western powers, such as the “G5 Sahel”. At the same time, Türkiye promoted an anti-colonial discourse towards African states, highlighting that, unlike the European powers, the Ottoman Empire was not engaged in the colonial exploitation of the continent. By the late 2010s and early 2020s, Ankara gradually began positioning itself as an independent player capable of serving as an alternative security guarantor in the Sahel region. This was achieved through the supply of its own military products, promoting military-technical and scientific cooperation, and training local armed forces. Notably, Türkiye has developed its closest relations in the Sahel with Niger, followed by Mali and then Burkina Faso. Over the past few years, Türkiye has established its own model of foreign policy engagement in Africa, which also applies to the Sahel countries. Therefore, this study aims to examine Türkiye’s foreign policy toward Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso through the lens of the key discourses Ankara promotes on the continent. Additionally, it highlights the main priorities and challenges Türkiye may face in its engagement with the “Sahel Trio”.

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