For years, Turkey has harbored dreams of joining the elite group of nations in the space game. Ambitious plans to launch their rockets are in the works and could take off from Somalia. Insiders suggest that Turkish officials are optimistic about Somalia’s approval for such a venture. However, Turkey’s defense ministry refused to offer any comments on the matter. A phone call to Hussein Sheikh-Ali, the national security adviser to Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, yielded no comments either. Meanwhile, Abdi Ahmed Koshin, head of the parliamentary defense sub-committee, was clueless about any deal with Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed in 2022 that Turkey is striving to extend the reach of its homemade Tayfun missiles, which currently hit up to 560 kilometers (350 miles). Launching from Somalia would sidestep the risk of debris affecting populated areas or other nations.
Turkey stands among the select few foreign powers tightening bonds with Somalia, a country striving to rise from the ashes of clan strife. Over the past ten years, Turkey’s footprint has expanded through defense collaborations, infrastructure ventures, and plans for hydrocarbon exploration. They’re also mediating between Mogadishu’s government and leaders in Somaliland, an autonomous enclave.
Besides, Turkey, along with the UAE and Egypt, are middle-tier powers carving paths in Africa as China’s pace of investment cools off and the US tries to catch up. Russia, though a symbol of anti-Western sentiments for some, can’t compete with Turkey’s TB2 Baykar drones. Eleven African countries have already snapped up these drones.
Fortifying its Presence
Turkey’s efforts to secure a stronghold in Somalia trace back to Erdogan’s 2011 visit when he pledged to help revamp basic services like education, health, and security through financial aid. By 2015, a defense-industry cooperation agreement between Turkey and Somalia enabled joint military equipment ventures. In July, the two nations agreed to ramp up their defense and economic collaboration over the next ten years.
In 2017, Turkey inaugurated its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu, where it now trains Somali soldiers. That’s a cornerstone of Somalia’s battle plan against al-Shabaab, an Islamist terror faction.
Turkey aims to replicate its Mogadishu model across other African nations. An exploration ship might soon be dispatched to prospect for oil and gas off Somalia’s shores, following an invitation from Somalia.
On the diplomatic front, Ankara has been mediating in a tussle between Somalia and Ethiopia over a deal that Ethiopia made to build a port in Somaliland, which Somalia claims as part of its territory.
–With contributions from Mohamed Sheikh Nor and Mohammed Omar Ahmed.
