Erdogan’s ambitions.. Mauritania is Turkey’s gateway to plunder Africa’s wealth

Amira Sharif

Turkey’s ambitions in the Maghreb and Africa are no longer hidden from observers and the peoples of the region. Today, a Mauritanian protest condemned the Turkish sabotage role and its support for extremist and terrorist groups to steal the region’s wealth, as Turkey tries to extend its influence and expansion in the African continent by courting many countries and offering financial inducements. In aid and economic projects increase the size of the Turkish expansion in Africa.

Dozens of Mauritanians gathered today in front of the Turkish embassy in Mauritania, to protest the recent Turkish interventions in Africa in a number of countries, including Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia, in addition to other countries, and also because of its continuous support for extremism and terrorism in addition to supporting the terrorist Brotherhood.

According to the “Mauritania Life” website, the demonstrators demanded an urgent and unconditional stop to the political figures affiliated with their disruptive approach to plundering wealth, and not to interfere in the internal affairs of African countries.

The demonstrators also demanded to stop supporting extremist groups, parties and militias in other countries.

Turkey aspires to expand Africa to gain more support, especially with its drowning in many internal and regional problems and European pressures imposed on it as a result of its continuous interventions in the region, especially in Syria and Iraq.

According to media reports, Turkey’s policy of openness in the African continent bore fruit in developing economic and trade relations, increasing the volume of investments, and reaching cooperation in the education and health sectors, among others.

The Turkish incursion into the Mauritanian interior through the National Rally for Reform and Development is part of Ankara’s strategic vision to penetrate several regions in the interior of Africa, as Nouakchott represents the main entrance and strategic gateway in Africa, as well as being the main crossing towards the countries of the Maghreb from its rear gate. This allows it to manage its new vision, which sees Africa as a strategic depth, in addition to the military bases in Somalia and Djibouti.

Ankara, through its activities inside Mauritania, is seeking to tighten control over all Fethullah Gulen institutions, as the Mauritanian authorities previously handed over a number of schools affiliated with the Gulen organization, which was active in Mauritania to administer the endowment of the Turkish knowledge, which aims to expand its regional role .

Earlier, the African Union declared Turkey, in 2008, its strategic partner, and the momentum of relations between the two sides increased the Turkish-African summits held in 2008 and 2014.

In 2012, the number of Turkish embassies in Africa was only 12, but in early 2019, the number increased to 42, and Turkey aims to increase the number of its embassies to 50, and the number of African embassies in Ankara increased from 10 to 35.

According to observers, the bill for Erdogan’s depletion to Africa amounted to staggering sums distributed over the various parts of the continent, from its north to its south, and from its west to its east, based either on fueling conflicts and conflicts, or under the mask of aid and investments, or under the cloak of false military support As is happening in Libya now.

The volume of trade between Turkey and Africa in 2003 reached 3.68 billion dollars, gradually increasing to reach 20 billion dollars in 2018.

According to the data of the Turkish Statistics Authority, the volume of Turkish foreign trade with Senegal and Mauritania witnessed a significant increase during the last 10 years, compared to a decrease with Algeria, and the volume of foreign trade between Turkey and Senegal in 2018 reached 248.6 million dollars, after this figure was $ 91.8 million in 2016.

The volume of trade between Turkey and Mauritania increased by 6 times, as it recorded about 23 million dollars in 2008, and increased to 131.9 million dollars in 2018.

Last year, the value of Turkish exports to Algeria reached $ 1.7 billion, Senegal $ 43.6 million, and Mauritania $ 86.8 million.

Erdogan is seeking to increase his defense industry exports to about $ 3 billion, after reaching about $ 2.2 billion in 2018 only, as he found in Libya, rich in natural resources, an opportunity to increase arms sales and stoke chaos with what he could get his hands on. On wealth, in addition to other schemes to benefit from energy discoveries in the Mediterranean.

Accordingly, observers see that Turkey’s invasion of Africa is similar to dividing a cake into small pieces, some for immediate consumption, while the rest is preserved until the occurrence of any crisis or war or even a natural disaster, so it exposes its teeth to swallow it in various ways.