The Washington Post has revealed the involvement of a Turkish arms company in escalating the armed conflict in Sudan by sending secret shipments of drones and missiles to the Sudanese army.
According to records, Baykar, Turkey’s largest defense company, made a $120 million arms deal with the Sudanese army, which included eight of its signature TB2 drones and warheads. The shipments were delivered in September 2024, with a team from the company ensuring the deal went smoothly.
The Washington Post reported that it had obtained a collection of text messages, phone recordings, photos, videos, documents, and financial records documenting the details of the arms deliveries to Sudan, partially verified through phone data and satellite images. These pieces of evidence reveal Baykar’s role in the armed conflict, which the United Nations has labeled as the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophe. Neither Baykar, nor the Sudanese military or government, responded to requests for comment.
The evidence suggests that Baykar’s shipments could constitute a violation of several international sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the European Union, highlighting the risks faced by Turkish companies as they seek to expand their influence in Africa. A Turkish embassy official in Washington, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, stated in a written statement to the Washington Post that “Turkey, which has witnessed the consequences of foreign intervention in Sudan, has refrained from providing any military support to the parties since the beginning of the conflict.”
Albert Ghoskoon, the former Director-General of International Security at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a senior researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, stated that he could not comment on specific cases but confirmed that Turkey has a robust and established system for reviewing arms sales, involving both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, and the General Staff.
He added that while previous reports indicated the presence of Turkish weapons on the battlefield in Sudan, the details regarding the intermediaries in the deal, the scale of the shipments, and how they were delivered to an active conflict zone despite international sanctions have never been revealed with such precision before.
Baykar’s documents revealed that company executives discussed after the drone sale that Sudanese military leaders were considering granting Turkish companies rights to access copper, gold, and silver mines. The documents also referenced the potential for Turkey to gain rights to develop the strategic Abu Amama port on the Red Sea, which is also of interest to Moscow.
Last month, the Russian and Sudanese foreign ministers announced an agreement allowing Russia to establish a naval base in Port Sudan, marking another strategic foothold on the Red Sea.
Reports suggest that Baykar’s shipments to the Sudanese army may violate several rounds of sanctions imposed by the U.S. and the EU, further underscoring the risks facing Turkish companies as they seek to enhance their influence across Africa.
Baykar is the main supplier of drones to the Turkish military and one of the leading defense exporters in the country. Its advanced TB2 model is capable of carrying more than 300 pounds of munitions and is built with many components manufactured in the United States.
