The capital of Mali, Bamako, hosted the international arms fair BAMEX 2025 between November 10 and 14. Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 and Akıncı drones, radar systems, and armored vehicles were among the most prominent products at the fair. However, while military cooperation was being showcased, civilians in the northern and central regions of the country continued to be targeted by Turkish drones.
In an article on the website “pressegauche.org” by Mohamed AG Ahmedou, a journalist specializing in the political and security dynamics of the Sahel and Sahel-Sahara region, attention was drawn to the Turkish state’s presence and objectives in the region.
Bombing the Tuaregs, not the jihadists
According to the report, military cooperation between Turkey and Mali has taken on a new dimension since the summer of 2024. Various sources confirm that members of the Turkish private military company SADAT have been stationed in Bamako, taking on the close protection of Malian leader Assimi Goïta and playing an active role in intelligence and operational processes.
According to eyewitness accounts on the ground, SADAT personnel are participating in operations in the north alongside the Russia-linked Africa Corps. A Tuareg representative from the Goundam region describes the situation as follows: “New Turkish advisers are arriving at some bases. They are providing training and directing operations. But the bombs never fall on the jihadist groups; our camps are burning.”
Reconnaissance and strikes targeting civilians
Testimonies from the Timbuktu, Gao, Ménaka, Mopti, and Duentza regions point to the same scenario: Turkish drones conduct reconnaissance, strike, and nearly all of those killed are unarmed civilians.
A shepherd from the local Pöl community living in Tenenku said: “Three drones came to the pasture. The young people fled. They struck twice. We found the bodies of four young people, all unarmed.”
An Arab representative from Tarkint, near Burem, said: “We never see drones hitting jihadist clerics. They hit our markets, our camps, our vehicles. It’s as if we were the enemy.”
These attacks have created great anger among the local population towards both the military junta and Turkey.
Humanitarian aid projects replaced by drones
For years, Turkey has sought to build an image through its projects in the fields of education, health, and humanitarian aid in Mali and Niger. However, according to the report, this image has now been replaced by drones, ammunition, and paramilitary support.
A Nigerian teacher sums up this shift: “Turkey used to bring us education and medicine. Now it sends drones that kill women and children.”
Anger is growing
The intensive military support provided to the military regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger—including drones, surveillance systems, and training programs—signals a sharp shift in Turkey’s orientation in the Sahel. However, this support is coming back at a heavy cost in the eyes of the local population due to rising civilian casualties and mass anger.
A woman who lost three children in a drone strike in Zuera said: “Turkey was a country we respected. Now their drones are hunting our children like prey.”
The collapse of the model
At this year’s BAMEX, Turkey only exhibited weapons. There was no section on education, health, or development projects. The era when the Turkish model was meaningful for the people of the region seems to have come to an end.
A Nigerian local official shared his impressions of the fair as follows: “If Turkey expects to be loved by selling drones that kill our children, it is mistaken. It is squandering all its moral capital.”
Historic breakup
According to experts quoted in the report, Turkey is no longer seen as a development partner in the Sahel; it is now viewed as a military actor seeking to establish influence through drones, paramilitary structures, and coup regimes.
The same report conveys a clear message from the local population to Ankara: “If Turkey wants to be a model for Africa, it should come with education and healthcare, not weapons.”