Turkey's Opening To Africa

Just the day before the Turkish president set foot in Africa, the Islamist radical group al-Shabaab carried out a terrorist attack. A suicide car bomb exploded at the gate of a Mogadishu hotel where Turkish delegates were meeting. It is clear that Turkey was the main target of the attack and that the terrorists were attempting to overshadow President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit.
Al-Shabaab pledged allegiance to al-Qaeda a couple of years ago, but it is not certain if these two organizations are really acting together or if al-Shabaab is just using al-Qaeda's reputation. If al-Shabaab is acting autonomously, one can analyze this attack from a local perspective, studying Somalia's political situation. Nevertheless, if al-Qaeda is somehow involved in this attack, one has to make a global assessment.
There have been attacks on Turkish interests in Somalia before, such as the car bomb attack against the Turkish Embassy in 2013. Therefore, it appears that al-Shabaab is determined to harm Turkey and that some people definitely don't want to see Turkey having an influence in Somalia.
Radical organizations like al-Shabaab, Boko Haram, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) don't tolerate the presence of any foreign actor in their spheres of influence; therefore, al-Shabaab's anti-Turkey position is not surprising in itself. But the radical group doesn't oppose Turkey only because it is a foreign, NATO member and EU candidate country, but also because Turkey has a Muslim majority. Moreover, the country is governed by a pious Sunni and conservative government.
It is no secret that Turkey is trying to reach out to Africa and develop commercial ties with African nations, especially with African Muslims. Besides, Turkey has, as the president emphasized, an anti-imperialistic approach. The president stressed that "Turkey has never been a colonial power in Africa, and now we come here as equals who ask for cooperation, not as a colonial power that is coming to exploit your resources." This is certainly not something many European countries are able to say. It looks rather like Iran or China's stance towards Africa. Of course, the US has no colonial past in Africa, either, but it is known that Muslim nations, including African ones, have many reasons to doubt America's true intentions.
In this context Turkey's main rivals in Africa are China and Iran, who are also reaching out to African markets, but Turkey has an advantageous position thanks to its Sunni Muslim identity, which it uses as a soft power and public diplomacy instrument. It was definitely not a coincidence that the president used the trip as an opportunity to criticize Europe.
Turkey's growing presence in Africa disturbs local radical organizations because Turkey is capable of reaching out to the same social base but promises peace and wealth instead of war and conflict. Furthermore, Turkey is able to use its influence to "normalize" Islamist political currents in those countries.
One wonders which international players are uncomfortable with Turkey's presence in Africa. The US would probably not be too disturbed because as long as Turkey remains a target for radical groups, Ankara's contribution to the "fight against terror" is assured. Israel would prefer Turkey over Iran, and Russia wouldn't care about Turkey's actions as long as they don't directly threaten Russian interests.
A number of European countries and their business communities, however, may be worried about Turkey consolidating its presence in African countries. That's why saying that al-Shabaab has attacked Turkey is true, but not enough. The trick is to find out who is hiding behind these radical groups and benefitting indirectly from their actions.

BERİL DEDEOĞLU (Cihan/Today's Zaman)