Turkey's intelligence chief declares Africa a strategic priority Submitted by Ragip Soylu on Tue, 01/06/2026 - 14:02 Ibrahim Kalin says intelligence diplomacy delivering results from the Sahel to the Horn of Africa as Ankara deepens its trade and military ties with the continent Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan (R) shaking hands with Turkey's National Intelligence Organisation director Ibrahim Kalin at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on 25 December (handout/AFP) Off Turkey is prioritising Africa, where strategic competition is accelerating, the director of its National Intelligence Organisation Ibrahim Kalin declared on Tuesday, saying that Ankara is using an "African approach" to address the continent’s challenges. “As the National Intelligence Organisation, our activities on the continent, from our stabilising and balancing stance in Libya to our contribution to the fight against terrorism in Somalia and our operations in Sudan , have attracted the attention of many countries,” Kalin said in an article published on the official Anadolu Agency’s website. “Positive results of intelligence diplomacy are being achieved throughout Africa, from Chad to Niger, from Togo to Burkina Faso, from Tanzania to Kenya.” Turkey’s new engagement with Africa began more than a decade ago, expanding from economic investments to increased diplomatic representation. The trade volume between Turkey and Africa has risen nearly eightfold since 2003, reaching $40.7bn in 2022. The number of Turkish embassies on the continent has grown from 12 in 2002 to 44 today. According to Murithi Mutiga, programme director for Africa at the International Crisis Group, “Turkey is one of the most consequential external actors on the continent today.” “Its approach is interesting because it spans hard power, through security support; soft power, through the admission of thousands of students into Turkish universities; and commerce, symbolised by Turkish Airlines, which has a visible presence across Africa,” he said. In recent years, however, Turkey’s engagement has become more military and security-oriented, as Ankara began supplying armed drones to several sub-Saharan countries and signing security training agreements with nations such as Niger. Experts note that Turkish intelligence operations in Africa date back to the Ottoman Empire’s dominance in North Africa, where numerous Turkish officers and military personnel served, among them Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who fought in Tripoli in 1911 before founding the modern Republic of Turkey. 'Turkey is one of the most consequential external actors on the continent today' - Murithi Mutiga, analyst Over the following decades, however, Ankara’s interest in Africa waned as it pursued a more pro-European agenda and Nato-centred security priorities until the early 2000s. Ebuzer Demirci, an independent Africa expert with a strong network across the continent, argues that the Turkish government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has pursued a proactive and multidimensional Africa policy that requires “field-driven” intelligence reporting and activities. “The practical and operational expression of this transformation is clearly visible in the National Intelligence Organisation’s multilayered activities in Libya, Somalia and Sudan,” he said. “One of the most striking examples, in terms of operational difficulty and strategic impact, was the rescue of Italian humanitarian worker Silvia Romano, who was freed after nearly two years of captivity by the terrorist organisation al-Shabaab in Somalia in 2020.” Demirci noted that the operation, conducted in an extremely volatile and risky environment, demonstrated an advanced level of field capability achieved by only a limited number of intelligence services worldwide. A pragmatic approach in the Sahel Ankara’s outreach to Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, all former French colonies that have recently experienced coups and established military rule, reflects Turkey’s pragmatic approach. As a middle power, the Turkish government often acts in areas where there is a power vacuum. Clifford C Omondi Okwany,  a research fellow at Mogadishu-based The Road Peace Research Institute, observed that as the United States reduced its presence in Africa, countries such as Russia, China and Turkey had expanded their influence, particularly after 2014. He added that Turkey had developed a distinct security model in Somalia, emphasising state-building and defence capacity rather than reliance on external intervention. Israel-Turkey rivalry moves to the Horn of Africa Read More » Unlike many western powers, Ankara invests in institutions that enable Somali authorities to defend themselves. Moreover, Turkey tends to avoid taking sides in African conflicts, from Sudan to Ethiopia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, preferring instead to play a mediating role. “Turkey says: as a middle power, I am strong enough to try to bring peace between different countries in Africa and see what happens if it fails,” Okwany said. “It’s a different approach from what the West has been doing. Turkey also wants to be a power; it’s a growing global actor.” Mali, which Ankara has sold several armed drones to, is one key example. Reports suggest Turkey delivered six advanced high-altitude drones to Mali in 2024, valued at around $210m. In Niger, cooperation in the security realm has also extended to the economy. Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced last month that Ankara plans to begin gold production in Niger in the first quarter of 2026. “The fact that the head of the National Intelligence Organisation openly articulates such a broad geographic reach suggests that Turkey’s intelligence capabilities have reached a level of institutional maturity and deterrence at which this presence no longer needs to be concealed, but rather acknowledged,” Demirci said. “This message is directed particularly at rival intelligence services and extra-regional powers, signalling that Turkey is no longer a passive observer in Africa, but an actor capable of influencing on-the-ground dynamics and, when necessary, disrupting competing strategies.” Africa Ankara News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0