The Gülen Movement in Africa : From Turkish Transnational Asset to Anti-State Lobby

Since 2005, Turkey’s relations with Africa have demonstrated a growing dynamism. This development was accompanied by greater diplomatic activism both bilaterally and multilaterally. Proactive Turkish diplomacy was rewarded in 2008, when, largely thanks to the votes of African countries, Turkey won a seat on the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member. This development was the outcome of a meticulous trust-building policy characterized by the simultaneous commitment of governmental and nongovernmental actors. Among the latter, Hizmet, better known as the Gülen movement—an Islamic transnational religious and social organization that has developed a multi-sectoral network in Turkey and abroad—played a pivotal role in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Between 2003 and 2014, it has held a special place in the formulation and implementation of Turkey’s public diplomacy in Africa, above all in the education sector, by means of a network of several schools. For many years, Turkey has taken advantage of that network, using it to achieve many political and economic gains. However, after the failed coup attempt of July 15, 2016, which, according to Ankara, was orchestrated by the movement, Africa became a further theater of internecine fighting