Newsletters
Former Turkish Underwater Offence (SAT) naval commandos are training special forces personnel of Mali’s army, aiming to build a system that allows the country to stand on its own rather than depend on outside help, the head of the training company said.
"Rather than them becoming dependent on us, dependent on outsiders, we are trying to create a system for them (the Malian army) where they can stand on their own feet. We are trying to instill a perspective that goes beyond just shooting or using weapons," Ufuk Erdogan, founder of the company and himself a former SAT commando, told Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).
The company presented its work at BAMEX 2026, a defense and security fair organized in Bamako by Mali’s Defense Ministry and Turkish company The Peak Defense.
The company’s name was not given.
"Our team consists entirely of experienced soldiers, SAT commandos. All of them have served as instructors in the SAT course and have trained personnel who are currently active in the field," he said.
He said the academy was initially founded to promote conscious weapons use in Türkiye and was later restructured to meet international demand.
"We are the first and only private academy operating in this field in Türkiye," he said, adding the company works with public and private institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan and several African countries.
The company trains special forces personnel under Mali’s land forces and has signed training and advisory agreements as the army restructures, Erdogan said, noting that programs are tailored to Malian needs and focus on physical preparation, close combat, weapons handling and battlefield casualty care.
At BAMEX, the company met military delegations from various countries to discuss new training and advisory cooperation, he said. It also receives strong demand from private security firms in Africa, particularly in the mining and banking sectors, for training and equipment.
The company has advised on BAMEX’s security for two years, working with police and military units, and its instructors supported the safe testing of Turkish defense products during live demonstrations, Erdogan said.
"Our military cooperation with Türkiye is exemplary. Respect for our sovereignty and our choices is very important to us. We are a sovereign country and we do not bow to any imposition," Malian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Maj. Gen. Elisee Jean Dao told AA.
"In this sense, we see Türkiye as a friendly country that respects our choices and supports us. We are extremely satisfied with this cooperation," he added.
Dao said Mali’s army has strengthened significantly, acquiring modern equipment through international partnerships in which Turkish defense firms played an important role.
Some Malian personnel have trained in Türkiye, he said, and the government wants cooperation with Turkish companies to continue.
"Our cooperation with Türkiye is of great importance in terms of strengthening our air capacity and training our land units. Our expectations from this partnership are high. We want to increase the capacity of both our air and land forces. I believe we have already made significant progress in this direction," Dao concluded.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
6 min read
