Issued on: 02/05/2026 - 18:27
Turkey’s efforts to expand its influence in West Africa could be threatened by attacks on Mali’s military regime, as Ankara pledges support while its growing security cooperation with Bamako faces new pressure.
Ankara has strongly condemned attacks by Tuareg separatists and Al Qaeda-linked jihadists on Mali’s military government. The attacks began last weekend, killed the defence minister and handed over control of key territory.
Turkey has built ties with Mali over the past two decades, but since Mali’s military rulers took power in 2021, that relationship has shifted sharply towards security.
“Since 2010, that expansion has been much more rapid,” said Professor Sedat Aybar, director of the Asia Pacific Africa Studies Centre at Bahcesehir University in Istanbul.
