Turkey and Niger sign military agreement to ensure supply of mercenaries to Libya

Ahmed Adel

As part of his colonial plan for Libya, Turkish President Recep Erdogan is taking means to prevent the country from emerging from the crisis that has befallen it since February 2011 by working to complicate the situation and concluding agreements with Libya’s neighboring countries in order to rouse more mercenaries loyal to him.

Suspicious cooperation

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoglu announced on Saturday, July 25 that his country has signed a military cooperation agreement with Niger during his visit to the African nation, where he held meetings with a number of officials and discussed the effects of the Libyan situation on the region.

During his visit, Çavuşoglu met Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou in the capital, Niamey, and assured him that Turkey “best understands Niger’s efforts to combat terrorism”, claiming that Turkey will contribute to Niger’s development, especially in the areas of agriculture, mining, transport, construction and energy.

Various protocols and agreements were signed between Turkey and Niger, including the areas of delivery of goods, financial aid, military training, and youth and sports.

Çavuşoglu started his visit to Niger on July 21, meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Nigeriens Abroad Kalla Ankourao, as well as Prime Minister Brigi Rafini.

Undeclared moves

The timing of the military cooperation agreement between the two countries is seen as an undeclared move by Turkey to besiege Libya from the southwest and tighten its grip on the crisis-stricken country.

Erdogan is desperate to penetrate the heart of Africa, and the military agreement with Niger could pave the way for curbing France’s influence and diminishing the French military’s efforts in Africa’s Sahel region.

Turkey also plans to repeat this dubious move with other countries in the Sahel and Sahara region, while Brotherhood-affiliated media outlets loyal to Fayez al-Sarraj’s Government of National Accord (GNA) celebrated Ankara’s signing of a military agreement with Niger.

Exploiting Niger’s suffering

Ibrahim Sahid, a Brotherhood member of Libya’s High Council of State, praised the signing of the agreement, saying, “Niger suffers a lot at all levels due to the cessation of relations with Libya, especially economically, which Turkey exploits to penetrate into the heart of Niger, similar to other African countries. This military agreement could pave the way for curbing French influence and reducing the chances of French military efforts.”

Terrorism and conflicts

In August 2019, President Issoufou declared in a speech during the commemoration of the country’s Independence Day, that all conflicts in African Sahel countries are due to the terrorist organizations in the region, which has been evident during the Libyan crisis, representing a great danger to the Sahel region.

During an interview with French magazine Jeune Afrique in September 2019, the Nigerien president confirmed that his country is confronting terrorist activities more than ever, pointing out that the situation relates to several things. Firstly, security threats in West Africa have escalated since the 1990s because of the growing influence of terrorist groups in Algeria, in what was known as the Black Decade, as well as the emergence of the Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria about 10 years ago.

Terrorist groups have also grown in influence since the collapse of the Libyan state following the events of February 2011 and the overthrow of late President Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, which Issoufou described as a “fatal mistake in which Western powers were involved.”

Terrorism also spread in the Lake Chad region, especially Boko Haram, while organized crime and terrorist activity has increased on the western borders with Mali.