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Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan.
External engagement plays an increasingly important role in the security of Africa. China, the Gulf States, Turkey and European countries, among others, have recently stepped up their activities on the continent and refined their strategies. The Africa Center has met with Judd Devermont, Africa Program Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, on the trends and complexity of these relationships.
Who are the main external actors of security in Africa?
Judd Devermont
The international community is entering Africa in new ways and with greater intensity. In sub-Saharan Africa, 150 new embassies were built between 2010 and 2015. It is mainly Turkey and Qatar, but Spain is also gaining the upper hand, as are some South-East Asian countries. Eastern Europeans are also strengthening their presence. We see much more diplomatic and commercial engagement, as well as security, with more and more countries building military bases on the continent – not only in Djibouti, but also in the Sahel and in places like Cameroon. The main winners are China, the Gulf States, particularly the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, and Turkey. Smaller increases have also been observed in some Western European countries that had previously reduced their presence and are rebuilding it now.
What are some of the remarkable factors of increased external engagement?
For Europeans, it is mainly motivated by migration, as evidenced by the fleet of Libya, Tunisia and Morocco in the Mediterranean, as well as support for the G5 Sahel, mainly from France but also from France. 'Europe. As you move through the Horn of Africa, you will see countries like Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey laying the groundwork, increasing investment and thinking about the challenges of security. These countries have a long history in the Horn of Africa, but we have seen some of their roles change after the 2011 famine in Somalia, when they provided nearly 30% of the world's population. humanitarian aid. Since then, they have been more committed to building their states. Finally, it is the Central African Republic where we saw the arrival of the Europeans, led by François Hollande of France. This was continued in a European training mission there.
How can African countries benefit from these partnerships?
There are many opportunities. First, countries should clearly indicate the type of relationship they want from outside partners. I think Africans can be more specific and have more discussions on the topic of migration or any other topic. It is also imperative that Africans and international actors demonstrate better coordination to reduce forum shopping, redundancy and duplication. These can flood the region with resources, but not necessarily in a very productive way.
I also think that African countries must speak louder about the fact that two countries bring their own rivalries to the continent and the resulting destabilization. The problems between Qatar and the UAE are becoming problematic for countries like Somalia and Sudan. There is also the rivalry between China and Taiwan. Burkina Faso has recently switched its relations between Taiwan and China. 48 out of 49 countries now recognize the politics of single China. But it's still a growing game. Moreover, as the United States talks about the competition of the big powers, Africans will have to think more about the China-United States relationship. US-Russian relations and relations.
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