Somalia entered a period of political uncertainty after the formal mandates of the Federal Parliament and the presidency expired in April and May 2026. Seeking to prevent a constitutional vacuum, parliament adopted a resolution extending both its own mandate and the presidential term by one year. Opposition coalitions rejected the decision outright. Brief public protests and efforts to push the dispute into the streets followed, unsettling a population that had hoped the country had moved beyond resolving political disagreements through violence.
Disputes over Somalia’s election model are, fundamentally, domestic matters. In diplomatic language, they might be described as disagreements over “modalities,” “procedures” and leadership at Villa Somalia. Yet whenever political tensions centre on the country’s highest office, the conduct of the competing parties and the wider political theatre deserve close scrutiny.
- Advertisement -
In established democracies, opposition groups confronting what they regard as an uneven balance of power often assess their options with care. One route is restraint: pursuing grievances directly with political opponents, accepting temporary setbacks and committing to a disciplined, potentially prolonged struggle. Some actors across Somalia’s political spectrum have followed that course. Others, however, appear willing to place immediate political advantage ahead of longer-term strategic interests.
A different approach seeks quick results at the expense of the broader objective. Advocates of that strategy may expand their attacks beyond domestic rivals to include international partners, generating diplomatic pressure in the hope that foreign governments will intervene.
That tactic can attract swift international attention, but it also exposes the country to significant long-term risks. Strategic partners and prospective investors watch how a nation’s political leadership behaves, looking for maturity, foresight and responsibility. Durable international relationships depend on confidence that a country’s ruling and opposition elites will protect core national interests, regardless of who occupies power.
Set aside partisan loyalties and emotion, and few of Somalia’s international partners have a relationship with the country as historic, visible, transformative and deeply felt as Türkiye. Ankara’s contribution to Somalia’s development has been extraordinary. Before 2011, much of the international community approached Somalia primarily through the lenses of risk containment and neglect. That outlook shifted when President, then Prime Minister, Erdoğan travelled to Mogadishu in August 2011 with his family, cabinet members and business leaders. The visit represented a bold act of humanitarian, political and economic leadership—and helped compel the world to re-engage with Somalia.
Since that landmark visit, Türkiye’s support has had a clear impact across several areas of Somali life:
Security: Türkiye fully funded, built and operated Somalia’s largest police and military academy through Turkish security specialists. The institution has trained and equipped thousands of elite members of the Somali Police Force and the National Army, strengthening the country’s security capacity.
Healthcare and Infrastructure: Rebuilt tarmac roads and modern medical institutions—including the world-class University of Health Science, Erdoğan General Hospital and the specialised mother-and-child Yardimeli Hospital in Mogadishu—stand among the partnership’s most significant achievements. These facilities have saved thousands of lives and helped raise the standard of public healthcare.
Education & Youth: Somali students from across the country have also received fully funded scholarships to attend leading Turkish public and private universities, contributing to the renewal of Somalia’s national institutions.
Other international partners have made important contributions to Somalia as well. Many undertook valuable projects after Türkiye’s early leadership and deserve recognition for that work. Even so, few partnerships have been as visible to, or as profoundly felt by, the Somali public as the relationship with Türkiye.
Türkiye’s ties with Somalia rest on major sacrifices and sustained support for state-building. They are not, and should never be portrayed as, an arrangement with whichever administration happens to be in office. During the previous administration, similar claims were made about Qatar, another major Somali partner. Qatar’s fraternal relationship with Somalia endured the electoral crisis of 2022. The Somali-Turkish partnership should likewise withstand the current political noise and grow stronger, consistent with Somalia’s longstanding tradition of protecting ties with friends, neighbours and allies while keeping disputes between the parties directly concerned.
That principle—friendship, restraint and confining disagreements to the parties involved—can be found in the wisdom of the renowned Somali poet Abwaan Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac “Gaarriye”. An English translation may communicate the poem’s meaning, but its full spirit remains rooted in the original Somali.
Waxaa Geed Lala Kacaa, (You should rise in a council only)
Gankaad Tahay Erey La Da’ Ah, (for a word that matches your true stature)
Gefkana Bashar Baad U Tahee, (You are simply a human to err)
Hadaad Ka Garowdo Khalad, (Yet to acknowledge a fault you made)
Gob Bay Caadadeeda Tahay (is the practice of the noble one)
Waxaan Godobtiisu Hadhin (yet a lasting grievance is left)
Gar Aad Leedahuu Ogyahay (by he who knows the justice you are owed)
Nin Kaaga Masuugay Gole. (yet stingily denies you in a council of justice)
Haddaad Gorod Diidan Tahay (if you disagree with Gorod)
Ku Koob Dirirtaada Gorod (confine your attacks to Gorod)
Afkaagana Godob Ka Dhowr (guard your tongue from causing grievance ‘to the relationships’)
Mar Baa Jirta Gumuc La Riday (for a bullet fired recklessly)
Gelaaftaa Ninkii Ridee (strikes the very one who fired it)
Nin iin Lahow Daa’ Gujada (therefore, let him who carries flaws stop poking others).
Attacking Türkiye’s role in Somalia—an ally that stood with the country during its greatest hour of need—does not diminish a domestic political opponent. It damages Somalia itself. Genuine diplomacy requires leaders to ensure that their words reflect their responsibility and standing, demonstrating to the Somali people and the wider world that, when national security, stability and historic strategic partnerships are at stake, politicians can rise above partisan reflexes. Until that happens, Somalia’s intellectuals and wider public will continue to distinguish between a genuine ally and a mere political actor.
______________________
Abdinasir Ali Mohamed[email protected]
