The Syrian scenario is repeated: A Turkish-Qatari plan to transfer mercenaries to Libya
The regime of Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan seeks to support the militias of Tripoli, which support his ally —the
Libyan accord government with fighters and mercenaries.
On December 25, 2019, the General
Administration of National Security of the Republic of Niger in West Africa
announced the arrest of a terrorist group consisting of three people, two of
whom hold Turkish citizenship, in addition to a local collaborator who is a
citizen of Niger.
The arrest of Turks in Niger opened the file
of "Turkish-Qatari" terrorism, and the apparent role of the two
countries in transporting terrorists to Tripoli, in the face of the Libyan
National Army.
The activities of the Turkish Red Crescent,
the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TICA) and the Qatar Charity
Association have also been a cover to attract terrorists and mercenaries to
support the Tripoli militias in an attempt to stop their losses in front of the
Libyan National Army.
According to the TICA website, it has
implemented many projects in Chad and Niger, but the fact of the matter
confirms that since 2015, the agency has been a cover for intelligence work,
recruitment and financing of terrorist groups and armed militias.
The countries of the Sahel and the Sahara,
headed by Chad, Mali and Niger, are increasingly active in armed groups, which
made Turkish President Erdogan seek to win over these groups to secure his
hoped-for presence in the continent as well as targeting Egypt.
The American Global Security Bulletin,
specializing in military and defense affairs, said that Turkish diplomats
depend on exploiting the religious feelings of Muslim populations in African
countries, led by Nigeria, Niger, Mali, and Senegal to weave networks of
influence and interests on their lands.
A report issued by the Center for Terrorism
Studies in the United States in 2016 also indicates a high rate of attacks in
the Sahel and Sahara region from 206 operations to 235 operations.
During 2014, this represents an increase of
800%, compared to 2001, which is the year in which al-Qaeda expanded its
terrorist operations in different regions of the world.
Several high-risk armed terrorist groups
operate in the Sahel-Sahara region, and have links to al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The "El Salvador Triangle" located
between Mali, Algeria and Niger is one of the most important strongholds of the
terrorist organizations alliance, as it is a crossing and training camp for
fighters of extremist organizations, in which the Ansar Al-Din movement, the
Almoravids and other extremist movements are active.
Madi Ibrahim Kanti, an expert on African
affairs, says that there is something that promotes terrorism and organized
crime activities in most regions of Africa, especially in the Sahel and the
desert, as many western companies have close relations with these in order to
facilitate the movement of their business.
Also, there is a frightening transfer of large
money movement from a country to another and from multiple accounts that can
not be tracked easily.