Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (L) stands beside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud upon his arrival at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu on January 25, 2015. Turkey has since expanded its military, economic and strategic presence in Somalia, including a major military base, a planned spaceport and offshore energy exploration. (Photo: MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB / AFP)
Turkey has poured huge sums into making Somalia one of its main foreign outposts but is being drawn into the country’s violent political battles, risking the goodwill it has built.
Turkish F-16s were accused of firing missiles around Baidoa, a city in southern Somalia, on Monday as federal troops fought off an attack by forces loyal to an ousted regional leader. Local reports said fighter jets and drones were active during the fighting, while forces aligned with former South West State president Abdiaziz Hassan Mohamed Laftagareen accused Turkey of carrying out the strikes.
Turkey was also accused of carrying out an airstrike on September 3 targeting opposition figure Gen. Mahad Abdirahman Aden in the southern town of Doolow. Abdirahman survived the attack and was injured, according to local reports, while Somalia’s federal government said the explosion was caused by explosives “being prepared inside the house.” Turkey has not publicly confirmed involvement.
That incident sparked rare anti-Turkey protests in the region, with some demonstrators burning Turkish flags and displaying images critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“Turkey is a new colonial power that is occupying Somalia and is killing Somali people,” district commissioner Omar Abdullahi told a crowd of protesters in nearby Afmadow.
“From today onwards, are we not at war with Turkey?”
Huge investment
While several Western countries have grown tired of funding a country in perpetual conflict, Turkey has established its largest overseas military training facility in Somalia.
It is also building a spaceport on the Somali coast dedicated to satellite launches and other space technologies, while expanding energy exploration off Somalia’s coast. Construction of the Warsheikh facility, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Mogadishu, began in 2025.
Turkey has trained Somali troops, provided aid during droughts, floods and famines and helped transform the capital, Mogadishu, with infrastructure projects, while Turkish companies operate the city’s airport and seaport.
It has also deployed military aircraft to Somalia. Turkey’s Defense Ministry publicly confirmed the presence of three F-16s in April, when they took part in a flyover marking the anniversary of the Somali armed forces.
Diplomats in Mogadishu jokingly complain of being awoken by the roar of the Turkish F-16s.
Many Somalis are grateful for Turkey’s support, particularly as Washington has reduced aid needed for the fight against the al-Qaeda-linked militant group al-Shabaab, which controls swathes of the country.
But opposition parties say Turkish military training, vehicles and drones — originally intended to help fight al-Shabaab — are increasingly being used against them and their militias, including during political clashes in Mogadishu in June.
Somalia is in a deep political crisis after President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pushed through constitutional changes extending federal terms from four to five years, effectively prolonging his mandate by one year. Opposition groups reject the changes, arguing that they lacked sufficient political consensus.
The opposition has met Turkish diplomats to warn Ankara against taking sides.
‘Perfect cooperation’
Turkish construction work is pressing ahead regardless.
The first phase of the spaceport at Warsheikh, about 70 kilometers north of Mogadishu, is due to be completed in 2027, according to reporting by Le Monde.
Turkey is in Somalia for the long term, and its interests go far beyond the current government.
“A succession of presidents and politicians has held office, and we have worked in perfect cooperation with these successive leaders,” said a senior Turkish official working on the Somalia file.
“All political actors in Somalia know that Turkey’s support is intended for the Somali people and for Somalia, not for any specific political line,” the official added.
That view was echoed by a Western diplomat based in Mogadishu.
“Turkey is a highly sophisticated actor and will support whoever best secures those interests,” the diplomat told Agence France-Presse.
‘Disinformation’
The Somali government says the opposition is using “disinformation” to damage the relationship with Turkey.
“It was shameful to see the Turkish flag being burned on Somali soil,” parliament speaker Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur said at an event commemorating the partnership on September 9.
Somali MP Amina Mohamed Mursal told AFP that the Turks “are our brothers and sisters… They came to our aid during difficult times.”
Some ordinary Somalis remain wary.
“Turkey can no longer be seen as a neutral partner… Its backing of the federal government’s leadership is deepening political divisions and fueling our resentment,” Mogadishu resident Dahir Ahmed told AFP.
“Many people now openly criticize Turkey — a marked change from the widespread support it enjoyed when it first became involved in Somalia,” added Shueyb Yare, a businessman from the diaspora.
Agence France-Presse, with reporting from Turkish Minute
Source:.turkishminute.com