Somalia: Hassan Sheikh’s Visit to Turkish Drilling Vessel Viewed as Public Diversion
MOGADISHU, Somalia — As Somalia’s mandate-expired federal government moves toward a unilateral election, former President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited the Çağrı Bey, a Turkish vessel conducting offshore oil drilling operations in Somali waters.
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State media outlets affiliated with Villa Somalia reported that Mohamud was briefed by technical experts and the vessel’s officials on the ongoing work and the initial results of the drilling activities.
Credible sources said Turkey, which supports the offshore oil initiative, arranged the visit as part of an effort to shift public focus away from Somalia’s escalating political disputes, including contested term extensions and disputed electoral plans.
The visit comes as tensions intensify across the country following the mandate-expired federal government’s announcement of a unilateral electoral timetable, a decision that has drawn broad political criticism.
Somali opposition leaders and other prominent political actors have previously accused Turkey of intervening on one side of Somalia’s fragile political divide. They allege that Ankara is seeking to support the former president and preserve his grip on power.
AXADLETM
