The Syrian scenario is repeated: A Turkish-Qatari plan to transfer mercenaries to Libya

Ali Rajab

The regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks to support the militias of Tripoli, which support his ally —the Libyan accord government with fighters and mercenaries.

On December 25, 2019, the General Administration of National Security of the Republic of Niger in West Africa announced the arrest of a terrorist group consisting of three people, two of whom hold Turkish citizenship, in addition to a local collaborator who is a citizen of Niger.

The arrest of Turks in Niger opened the file of “Turkish-Qatari” terrorism, and the apparent role of the two countries in transporting terrorists to Tripoli, in the face of the Libyan National Army.

The activities of the Turkish Red Crescent, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TICA) and the Qatar Charity Association have also been a cover to attract terrorists and mercenaries to support the Tripoli militias in an attempt to stop their losses in front of the Libyan National Army.

According to the TICA website, it has implemented many projects in Chad and Niger, but the fact of the matter confirms that since 2015, the agency has been a cover for intelligence work, recruitment and financing of terrorist groups and armed militias.

The countries of the Sahel and the Sahara, headed by Chad, Mali and Niger, are increasingly active in armed groups, which made Turkish President Erdogan seek to win over these groups to secure his hoped-for presence in the continent as well as targeting Egypt.

The American Global Security Bulletin, specializing in military and defense affairs, said that Turkish diplomats depend on exploiting the religious feelings of Muslim populations in African countries, led by Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Senegal to weave networks of influence and interests on their lands.

A report issued by the Center for Terrorism Studies in the United States in 2016 also indicates a high rate of attacks in the Sahel and Sahara region from 206 operations to 235 operations.

During 2014, this represents an increase of 800%, compared to 2001, which is the year in which al-Qaeda expanded its terrorist operations in different regions of the world.

Several high-risk armed terrorist groups operate in the Sahel-Sahara region, and have links to al-Qaeda and ISIS.

The “El Salvador Triangle” located between Mali, Algeria and Niger is one of the most important strongholds of the terrorist organizations alliance, as it is a crossing and training camp for fighters of extremist organizations, in which the Ansar Al-Din movement, the Almoravids and other extremist movements are active.

Madi Ibrahim Kanti, an expert on African affairs, says that there is something that promotes terrorism and organized crime activities in most regions of Africa, especially in the Sahel and the desert, as many western companies have close relations with these in order to facilitate the movement of their business.

Also, there is a frightening transfer of large money movement from a country to another and from multiple accounts that can not be tracked easily.