Türkiye has built a reputation as a reliable power broker and mediator in international affairs under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. On the International Day of Peace, observed on Monday, this role is under the spotlight, especially in Africa. Experts say Türkiye’s approach to Africa through mediation, diplomacy, humanitarian aid, development and capacity building contributes to peace and stability processes across the continent.

The country obtained observer status with the African Union (AU) in 2005 and was declared a strategic partner of the continent in 2008. Peace and security are also among the priority areas of cooperation within the Türkiye-Africa partnership.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Dr. Alioune Aboutalib Lo, a researcher at the Africa Coordination and Training Center (AKEM), an Istanbul-based think tank, and Dr. Tarık Nur, a Sudanese academic and faculty member at Bilecik Şeyh Edebali University in Türkiye, assessed the country’s efforts toward peace and stability on the continent.

Lo said promoting peace and mediation had become an important component of Türkiye’s Africa policy over the past 20 years, noting that Ankara has been involved in various processes on the continent at both multilateral and bilateral levels.

Türkiye’s engagement with the continent gained unprecedented momentum after Ankara declared 2005 the "Year of Africa.”

Ankara has repeatedly presented itself as a fairer player than the continent’s former colonial powers, touting cooperation based on "equal partnership and a win-win principle.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has made more than 50 visits to African nations both as prime minister and president during the past two decades.

Pointing to Türkiye’s contributions to peace efforts in Sierra Leone under initiatives carried out within the framework of the United Nations (U.N.), as well as to the U.N. Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) and the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Lo said that at the bilateral level, Ankara has used diplomacy to bring parties involved in disputes closer together.

Lo said the Ankara Process between Somalia and Ethiopia was one of the most concrete examples of this approach, adding that Türkiye has also facilitated talks between Somalia and Somaliland, played a role in the Libya file and undertaken diplomatic initiatives regarding the dispute over Nile waters between Ethiopia and Egypt.

Emphasizing that the relations Türkiye has developed with African countries over the years have enabled Ankara to engage with different sides, Lo said: "Türkiye’s advantage is that it can talk to all parties involved in a conflict.”

Lo said Türkiye’s strengthened bilateral relations on the continent had put it in a position to initiate dialogue between different actors and made mediation one of its diplomatic tools.

Referring to the dispute between Somalia and Ethiopia, Lo said Türkiye’s political, diplomatic and economic relations with both countries had been instrumental in bringing the two sides together in Ankara.

Talks that began in July 2024 under Türkiye’s facilitation culminated in the Ankara Declaration, adopted on Dec. 11, 2024, under the auspices of Erdoğan. Somalia and Ethiopia reaffirmed their respect for each other’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.

Commenting on the situation in West Africa and the Sahel, Lo said the region was becoming increasingly complex in terms of peace and security and that terrorism was one of the main challenges facing countries in the region.

Noting that Türkiye’s relations with countries in the region had strengthened in recent years, Lo said Ankara had developed ties not only with West African countries but also with countries belonging to the Alliance of Sahel States (AES).

Lo said Türkiye’s role in the region extended beyond diplomatic and economic relations to the security sphere, adding that some Sahel countries were benefiting from Turkish defense industry products to develop their counterterrorism capabilities.

Sudanese academic Nur said Türkiye’s peace efforts in Africa should not be assessed solely through the lens of traditional mediation activities, noting that diplomacy, development cooperation, humanitarian aid, education and institutional capacity building were also components of long-term peace.

Citing Somalia as one of the clearest examples of Türkiye’s multidimensional approach, Nur emphasized that the Ankara Process also demonstrated Türkiye’s capacity to facilitate talks directly.

"It would be more accurate to view Türkiye’s role in Africa as a facilitation model that helps parties develop their own solutions, rather than producing a solution on behalf of one side,” Nur said.

Commenting on the ongoing war in his country, Nur said Türkiye could play a role in creating diplomatic space in Sudan, delivering humanitarian aid and supporting an inclusive political process that Sudanese parties could agree on.

Nur stressed that Türkiye’s coordinated efforts with the AU, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the U.N. and Sudan’s neighboring countries could produce more effective results, saying: "Peace should not be viewed as being limited to a cease-fire.”

Nur emphasized that restoring the functioning of state institutions, universities, and education and health infrastructure in Sudan after the war would be important for sustainable peace.

Nur said Türkiye could increase its coordination with Africa’s own peace mechanisms, adding that post-conflict reconstruction and human resource development were also among the areas in which Türkiye could contribute to peace processes on the continent in the coming period.