Baykar, Turkey’s largest defense contractor, has secretly supplied $120 million worth of drones and warheads to the Sudanese military despite international sanctions, Turkish Minute reported, citing an exclusive report in the Washington Post.
The report, based on leaked documents, messages and financial records, details how Baykar supplied at least eight TB2 drones and 600 warheads to the Sudanese military in 2023. The shipments, which included technical support, were routed through intermediaries and reached military bases in Sudan amid the country’s ongoing civil war.
Baykar, which is co-owned by the son-in-law of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has previously been linked to large arms exports but has not publicly commented on the alleged sales to Sudan. The shipments appear to have violated US and European Union arms embargoes, which prohibit military sales to warring parties in Sudan.
According to the report, Turkish military companies have worked with both sides of the conflict. While Baykar was arming the Sudanese military, another Turkish company, Arca Defense, reportedly communicated with high-ranking representatives of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which the US accuses of war crimes and ethnic cleansing.
The revelations come at a time when Turkey is positioning itself as a mediator in the Sudanese conflict, despite evidence that its defense industry has fueled the war. The documents suggest that Sudanese officials may have offered Turkish companies access to valuable resources, including gold and copper mines, in exchange for military support.
The US government has previously sanctioned the Sudanese procurement agency Defense Industries System, which allegedly signed the contract with Baykar. Despite these restrictions, arms continue to flow into Sudan from numerous international suppliers, including Iran and Russia, exacerbating a conflict that has killed at least 150,000 people and displaced millions.
