After the treacherous coup wey Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) plan for Türkiye on 15 July 2016, e mark one serious and strategic change for how Türkiye dey do foreign policy for Africa.

From that time, Türkiye no limit the relationship to trading again; dem deepen ties for the continent by putting proper institutions for political, military, defence industry and especially security and counter-terrorism partnerships.

The intelligence sharing and security alliances wey dem set up to dismantle FETO’s illicit networks across Africa give the organisation big blow and reduce how dem don dey operate for the continent for long.

The main driver for this success na the active leader-to-leader diplomacy wey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan personally dey lead.

As President Erdoğan dey meet African leaders face-to-face, e present clear evidence wey show say FETO be serious and organised threat not just to Türkiye but to the national security, sovereignty and future of any African country wey the group enter.

This firm position catch ground for many places for the continent. Because of am, both the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the African Union (AU) officially name FETO as terrorist organisation in 2016.

That clear step show the strong solidarity wey African countries get with Türkiye.

Dismantling the organisation’s infrastructure

Early for this process, some countries like Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia and Madagascar quickly see the true nature of the threat and take fast action.

By shutting down schools, associations and businesses wey connect to the group, these governments transfer the assets dem give directly to the Republic of Türkiye.

For countries like Senegal and Mauritania, the organisation don spend decades to settle inside local bureaucracy and influential families, dey run secret operations through some educational institutions.

Even though these deep networks be big wahala for local society and for Turkish security, dem demantle them step by step through Türkiye persistent diplomacy and special counter-measures.

The role of the Maarif on education

Instead of leave education empty after dem close the schools, Türkiye take reasonable approach by transfer those institutions to the Turkish Maarif Foundation.

This move stop any interruption for African students’ learning and upgrade the schools into modern, secure system wey dey follow official national curricula.

The change become big benefit for local communities, because the educational and social structures wey FETO dey exploit, the Maarif Foundation quickly restore dem.

For this context, Turkish Maarif Foundation grow to manage the seized schools and become the trusted side of Türkiye public diplomacy for international education.

With curriculum wey focus on science, technology, universal human values and respect for local cultures, Turkish Maarif Foundation dey remove the remaining traces of the group’s ideological and manipulative teaching.

The foundation dey operate inside local laws and respect sovereign rights, so dem don gain trust from both African citizens and state officials thanks to quality education, qualified teachers and scholarship opportunities.

As result, Turkish Maarif Foundation presence for the continent no be only answer to bad activities but also build sustainable bridge of hearts based on mutual respect and non-colonial, win-win partnerships.

Regional divergences and challenges

Even though the general campaign against FETO for Africa don give positive results, the response no the same everywhere when e reach speed and determination.

How hard dem pursue the group depend on how deep the network don enter and the political alignment of the host countries.

For the end, the tireless fight against FETO’s secret networks for Africa follow three different patterns based on how aware the host nation be: some countries recognise the direct threat and act quick in line with Türkiye; some dem hesitate at first but finally transfer the schools; and some places the organisation still dey hide behind deep infiltration and legal or political obstacles.

Despite small areas wey resist, people dey understand every day say FETO dey operate like global criminal and terrorist enterprise, and the liquidation process dey continue with strong determination.

The solidarity wey the continent show after the 15 July coup attempt remain one historic step wey raise Türkiye-Africa relations to partnership wey base on mutual trust and shared vision for security.

The author,

Dr. Mayada Kamal Eldeen, na Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations for Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Türkiye.

Disclaimer:

The views wey the author express no necessarily represent the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT Afrika.