Turkey And Iran Are Engaging In New Operations In Africa

It is important to understand that this is in the context of the US generally reducing its global role and comes around 60 years after European colonialism was rolled back. Call it a new 'Great Game' or war for hearts and minds, or just influence peddling, but Iran and Turkey are now engaged in greater efforts to expand their role in Africa. This comes as Russia and China are also extending networks on the continent. It is important to understand that this is in the context of the US generally reducing its global role and comes around 60 years after European colonialism was rolled back.  

The increasing footprint of Iran and Turkey have caused concern for other states that view their role as belligerent. That means that Gulf media is concerned that Turkey has a large base in Somalia and that Turkey has sought more bases in Libya, as well as work in Sudan and Tunisia. One could see this as a competition for East Africa, which is across the Red Sea Bab al-Mandeb straits from Saudi Arabia. But there is also competition for influence in North Africa, especially in Libya’s civil war and Tunisia.  

Both North Africa and East Africa are basically either part of or border regions of the Arab League. That means they have direct connections to the security framework in Riyadh and Cairo. It is why the UAE, for instance, has interests in Somaliland, an autonomous region that declared itself independent of Somalia.
 
Beyond this area there is a swath of territory across the Sahel that is impacted by extremist groups. These include Al-Shabab, Boko Haram and groups linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. This swath of territory has led to rising attacks on countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Mali and other states. -Full Report

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