Mali’s deepening alliance with Türkiye represents a important node in Ankara’s broader technique to develop affect throughout Africa and the Center East.
This partnership, anchored in army cooperation, financial investments, and cultural ties, aligns with Türkiye’s neo-Ottoman imaginative and prescient of reclaiming regional dominance via pragmatic alliances and useful resource management.
Army and Financial Synergy
Turkish-made Bayraktar Akıncı drones, deployed to Mali in December 2024, now spearhead counterterrorism operations towards armed teams within the Sahel. These high-altitude drones, with superior AI avionics and a 1,500 kg payload, improve surveillance and strike capabilities.
Mali’s $110 million acquisition, funded totally via its nationwide finances, displays a shift away from Western reliance amid strained EU-Africa relations.
Commerce between the 2 nations has surged from $5 million in 2003 to $165 million in 2022, pushed by Turkish exports of equipment, ammunition, and electronics. Mali’s cotton exports to Türkiye reached $38.1 million in 2022, positioning it as Africa’s largest cotton producer.
Turkish companies are additionally pursuing infrastructure tasks, together with a $17 billion “Improvement Highway” linking Anatolia to Mesopotamia—a logistical hub technique mirroring investments in Syria and Libya.
Cultural and Political Alignment
The Türkiye Maarif Basis operates 18 faculties in Mali, educating 3,500 college students. This follows the 2017 takeover of Gülen-linked establishments, cementing Bamako’s alignment with Ankara’s anti-Gülen stance.
Political solidarity stays strong, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reaffirming help for Mali’s transitional chief, Colonel Assimi Goïta, throughout high-level engagements.
Türkiye’s Inside Minister hosted Mali’s Safety Minister in Ankara in March 2025 for protection talks, underscoring shared priorities in combating terrorism.
Broader Strategic Context
Türkiye’s partnership with Mali is an element of a bigger neo-Ottoman technique to reshape regional dynamics. The “Blue Homeland” doctrine, exemplified by a January 2025 naval train involving 87 ships and 20,000 personnel, asserts expansive maritime claims within the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Black Seas—straight difficult Greece and Cyprus.
These claims goal gas-rich zones just like the Japanese Mediterranean, the place reserves exceed 100 trillion cubic toes, probably price lots of of billions of {dollars}.
In Syria, Türkiye controls northern zones, mixing army presence with infrastructure tasks to safe borders and financial pursuits.
Ankara’s reconstruction contracts in Syria, valued at billions, mirror its method in Mali, leveraging proximity and political ties to safe advantageous offers.
Equally, Türkiye’s army base in Somalia and protection pacts with Uganda and Mozambique spotlight its pan-African safety technique, countering Western affect whereas increasing commerce networks.
Regional Rivalries and Dangers
Türkiye’s assertiveness has strained relations with NATO allies, notably over its S-400 missile programs and maritime disputes.
Greece, Egypt, and Cyprus have intensified cooperation, condemning Ankara’s actions as violations of worldwide regulation. Nevertheless, Mali views the partnership as a counterweight to Western stress, balancing pragmatism with strategic autonomy.
With bilateral commerce focusing on $300 million by 2025 and army exports doubling since 2020, each nations see mutual good points in a relationship that blends safety wants with financial ambition.
But critics warning towards over-reliance on Turkish arms and funding, as Ankara’s broader agenda—rooted in historic grievances and vitality dominance—dangers entrenching regional instability.
