Turkiye’s modern engagement with Africa began decisively in Somalia. In 2011, as famine ravaged the Horn of Africa and Al-Qaeda-affiliated Al-Shabaab overran much of southern Somalia, most western powers abandoned Mogadishu.
Aid was delivered remotely, often siphoned off by warlords, leaving a vacuum. The famine killed an estimated 260,000 people, half of them children under five, and cemented Somalia’s status as a failed state in western eyes.
From Mogadishu to Tripoli to Khartoum, Turkiye’s African footprint is growing, but mainly in unstable states and contested arenas. It is far from controlling Africa’s sea lanes or replacing western hegemony.
Domestic controversies, from Somali legal scandals to Libya policy criticisms, weigh on Ankara’s credibility. In the Sahel, Moscow remains the preferred partner for anti-imperialist governments.
Turkiye’s drive in Africa blends humanitarian outreach, military positioning, and selective alliance-building. Until it broadens beyond fragile partners and turns its neo-Ottoman vision into sustainable influence, Ankara will remain an ambitious player – not the hegemon it imagines itself to be.