The mercenaries in the private security company close to Turkish President Erdogan could play a growing role in Niger and Mali, following their operations in Libya and Azerbaijan.

Are pro-Turkish Syrian mercenaries operating in Niger? The suspicion, not yet confirmed by conclusive documents, was first raised at the beginning of May with the announcement by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) of the first dead repatriated to the country. The OSDH reported they were Syrian victims deployed in the Sahel region in the name of Turkey’s geopolitical designs.

Since then, the OSDH, an information center linked to the Syrian opposition, has regularly reported arrivals in Niger of “over a thousand” of these Syrian fighters from Sadat, a private Turkish security company close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. While Turkey’s offensive in Africa is an old story, where security deals blend with economic contracts, humanitarian aid and the promotion of an Islam similar to the one envisioned by the Muslim Brotherhood, renewed attention seems to be focused on the Sahel at a time when the departure of the French and American forces is inviting new strategic players.

“In Niger, Syrian mercenaries are supposed to guard mines, oil installations or military bases,” said OSDH director Rami Abdel-Rahman. “But they then find themselves involved in fighting against jihadist groups. Nine of these Syrian fighters have died to date.” Disturbingly, OSDH reports that these men find themselves fighting alongside the “Russians” of Africa Corps (ex-Wagner), or even abandoned to the Corps’ authority, even though Moscow and Ankara are supposed to be rivals in the Syrian war. “Russians and Turks are cooperating in Niger,” said Abdel-Rahman.