Peacekeeping mission na one ad hoc international security intervention wey dey involve people and countries wey dey work together to help countries wey dey face conflict and unsteadiness, to maintain wetin dem need for lasting peace and development.

For African countries wey dey face complex security wahala, terrorism and insecure borders, peacekeeping missions wey just act as buffer no dey enough as short-term solution.

Pass just to dey monitor ceasefire, political armistice and transitions, na the country own ability to protect fragile peace, guard civilians, and keep state authority over non-state actors be the real guarantor of regional and continental peace.

As dem dey look for national security framework wey fit adapt, many African countries don find real security partner for Türkiye, through win-win deals wey mix military capacity building and geopolitical diplomacy.

Türkiye hybrid style of diplomatic mediation plus military support dey help Africa keep peace by building state capacity to tackle domestic existential challenges.

Lessons wey dey from UN peacekeeping missions

First UN peacekeeping operation for Africa start for 1950s as military observer missions wey dem give the job to maintain ceasefires during 1956 Suez Crisis for Egypt.

Since 1960 when UN launch im first big peacekeeping mission with 20,000 soldiers for Congo, the global body don run about 30 peacekeeping operations for Africa wey include military, police and civilian personnel.

As one of the 51 founding members of UN, Türkiye don dey participate steady for UN peacekeeping operations across Africa. Some Turkish personnel don even lose their lives while dem dey serve under UN flag.

Türkiye don take part for many African peacekeeping and political missions like UNAMSIL for Sierra Leone, MONUC for DR Congo, UNMIS for Sudan, UNOCI for Côte d'Ivoire, ONUB for Burundi, UNMIL for Liberia, MINUSCA for CAR, UNAMID for Darfur, MINUSMA for Mali and UNSOM for Somalia, so e don contribute well for global efforts.

When UN Peacebuilding Commission set up for fund post-conflict stabilization and peacebuilding for Africa in 2005, Türkiye be founding member and money contributor.

Based on the years wey Türkiye don participate for African peacekeeping, e don move one step further by giving wider support to national governments to build domestic and regional capacity to keep peace.

The success of this two-way strategy dey clear for Türkiye efforts to resolve instability for Libya, mediate between Somalia and Ethiopia, support ceasefire between Rwanda and DR Congo, and through military cooperation with many African states.

Mediation and political diplomacy

December 2024 be historic moment for African peacebuilding as Ethiopian and Somali leaders sign the 'Ankara Declaration', joint declaration between Ethiopia and Somalia after successful mediation by Türkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

About one year before that, diplomatic quarrel start between the two neighbours in January 2024 when Ethiopia sign deal with Somaliland (wey separate) to use the Red Sea port of Berbera.

The Ankara Declaration signing dey physically attended by Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed for one widely celebrated event for Turkish capital Ankara.

The agreement help rebuild diplomatic bridge wey reduce tension between the two East African countries, and dem later restore full diplomatic representation and bilateral relations.

Another high point of Turkish diplomatic model for Africa show for the recent violent conflicts by proxy militias for eastern DR Congo, wey DRC blame on Rwanda.

During January 2025 visit to Türkiye by Rwanda President Paul Kagame, President Erdoğan tell am sey Türkiye ready to mediate between Rwanda and its estranged neighbour.

'Türkiye ready to provide all necessary assistance for the resolution of the crisis between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo,' President Erdoğan declare, and later he praise the two countries for the eventual ceasefire agreement.

Elsewhere for North Africa, Turkish policy of peace through mediation and soft diplomacy don give positive results for Libyan and Sudanese governments, wey dey slowly reassert their territorial security mandates.

For Libya, Ankara dey front to rally global support for the Tripoli-based internationally recognized Government of National Unity led by Abdulhamid Dbeibah, wey come power through UN-backed process in 2021.

In doing so, Türkiye still dey extend olive branch to the eastern Libya-based House of Representatives wey General Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army support.

For Sudan, wey don get years of civil war, Türkiye don establish itself as strategic global supporter of the legitimate authority of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) wey dey fight to save the country from the rebellious paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

As recent as last June, Türkiye Ambassador to Khartoum, Fatih Yildiz call on international community to take concrete action against external actors wey dey support the paramilitary group.

Defence outreach to Africa

For Türkiye, peacekeeping mean non-imperial way to support African security governance. Türkiye model dey give long-term political stability to African states by strengthening institutional capacity and tactical agility of national armies.

Based on years of active security participation for UN missions, Türkiye stand out for proactive security cooperation and empowerment of national governments through security support and defence technology transfer.

In recent years, Türkiye don sign defence pacts with more than 20 African governments, development wey become cost-effective security lifeline for many countries wey dey battle prolonged conflicts.

Almost half of African countries don sign defence industry cooperation agreements with Türkiye, wey give dem better access to Turkish weapons and military infrastructure.

The defence cooperation framework include easier weapons sales, complementary military training programmes, and joint protocols for combating terrorism and other security challenges.

From Sahel to Horn, African countries wey benefit from Turkish defence investments include Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, Algeria, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Soldiers and officers from plenty African countries dey receive training for Türkiye or from Turkish military instructors for Africa; officers from Mali and Niger recently graduate from special forces camp for Isparta.

African military and defence officials dey regularly invited to high-level defence industry summits and fairs for Ankara and Istanbul. Their forces no dey face diplomatic bottlenecks when dem wan access arms exports from Türkiye's defence industry.

Forging ahead

Somalia dey one major strategic example of this relationship. Since 2017, Ankara don provide the country security assistance under comprehensive military agreements, with over 15,000 Somali army personnel dey benefit.

Turkish drones and other high-tech defence hardware don bring tangible security results to many African defence frontiers.

Helicopters and other security infrastructure wey Türkiye sell to African nations don help important counter-terrorism operations against groups like Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and Daesh.

Essentially, the Türkiye-Africa diplomacy and security model dey combine state-building interventions through mediation and military assistance, with the aim to close Africa defence gaps and boost the continent’s security resilience.

African governments and militaries no dey like dem dey at the mercy of Western arms embargoes, military sanctions and foreign interference wey undermine sovereignty, wey before don paralyse their operations.

Till now, Türkiye contribution to sustaining peace for Africa remain under policy guidance of strategic bilateral engagement as partner with national governments.

From Mogadishu to Niamey, this approach dey credited with stabilizing fragile states, reenergizing vulnerable militaries and improving institutional credibility.

As more African countries join genuine cooperation with Türkiye, dem dey open alternative doors to defence supplies wey critical to their national security interests, tactical preparedness and power balance against subversive forces.