TASAM | The Saudi Impact on Africa

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Esra PAKIN ALBAYRAKOĞLU

Istanbul Esenyurt University & C4Defence Magazine

1. Introduction

Against the backdrop of religious brotherhood and trade between the Arabian Gulf and the African Continent, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to broaden its sphere of influence around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Beginning with the 19th century and particularly during the Cold War, Riyadh has sought to spread Wahhabism to counter communist and Shiite expansion. Today, another objective is to prepare its economy for the post-oil era and to ensure food security. Although trade volume with the Black Continent is negligible; Riyadh’s infrastructure, transportation and telecommunication investments in this region, buying and renting agricultural land particularly in the Horn of Africa and hundreds and thousands of Africans working as cheap labourers in this country, are other interactions between Saudi Arabia and Africa.

Infamous for its authoritarian and weak states, ethnic- and religion-based armed conflicts, terrorism, organized crime, poverty and famine, Africa is on the brink of a serious collapse in the face of Jihadi Wahhabism inspired by Saudi Arabia, crises in Qatar and Yemen forcing to choose sides, plus socioeconomic and ecological plight caused by Saudi-financed agricultural activities. Riyadh, in an attempt to find solutions to its problems by increasing its ideological, military and economic leverage in Africa, renders both itself and the Black Continent more vulnerable.

2. Saudi Wahhabism versus Jihadi Wahhabism

It is often stated that a major impact of Saudi Arabia on Africa is instability and terrorism by invitation of fellow Africans to the Wahhabi cause. Nevertheless, the roots of Islamist militarism date long before Saudi Arabia’s active presence in this continent.(1) Riyadh distinguished between Saudi Wahhabism and Jihadi Wahhabism, while articulating its reaction to organisations

like ISIL, brutally taking the lives of innocents. Although Saudi Arabia does not deny its efforts to introduce Wahhabi/Salafi teaching throughout Africa, it nevertheless contends that Jihadi groups have betrayed the spirit of real Wahhabism.

The main cause of Wahhabism/Salafism is to understand and practice Islam in the original way, while the purpose of Islamic Military Alliance led by Riyadh serves the purpose of deterring and destroying organisations, which disgrace Islam.(2) Nevertheless, many African governments spend enormous sums of money to prevent the rise and spread of radical currents; measures taken to deter terrorism sometimes work against basic rights and liberties and further debilitates the already fragile economic and democratic infrastructure. In an effort to cripple ISIL, which has been generating revenues on its own for a long time, Riyadh targeted and arrested hundreds of suspects with proven ties to this terrorist organisation. According to public opinion polls, support to ISIL amounts to only 5%. Although this might sound great news, this ratio corresponds to half million potential supporters and donors approximately.

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(1) Nehemia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwells, “Introduction: Patterns of Islamization and

Varieties of Religious Experience among Muslims of Africa,” in The History of Islam in

Africa, ed. Nehemia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwells (Ohio: Ohio University Press, 2000),

2-15.

(2) “Vehhâbîlik,” Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı İslâm Ansiklopedisi, vol. 42 (İstanbul: İSAM Yayınları,

2012): 611-615; Mehmet A. Büyükkara, “11 Eylül’le Derinleşen Ayrılık: Suudî Selefiyye ve

Cihadî Selefiyye,” Dini Araştırmalar, vol. 7 (2004): 206, 221, 227; David McCormack, “An

African Vortex: Islamism in Sub-Saharan Africa,” The Center for Security Polic

Link to the related book: New Security Ecosystem and Multilateral Cost