Turkey’s Incursion into Somalia Should Be Checked

By Mahmoud Mohamed Mahmoud

Turkey intervened in Somalia by providing aid to the Somali people during the famine when Sheikh Sharif was president of the Transitional Federal Government. However, Turkey’s intentions changed over time, and the aid transformed into blatant plundering of Somalia’s resources.

Turkey’s involvement in Somalia began as a vital humanitarian response to the 2011 famine following a severe drought. We appreciate that since then, Ankara has become one of Mogadishu’s most influential external partners, expanding its support into a multifaceted program of development, budgetary aid, infrastructure investment, and significant military assistance

 However, Turkey’s increasing control over Somalia’s internal affairs is now alarming. For example, the port of Mogadishu is managed by a Turkish group without any oversight from the Somali Federal Government. Similarly, Mogadishu International Airport is run by Turks as if it were a Turkish airport.

They even sometimes dismiss local workers and replace them with Turkish ones. The Somali government, headed by Hassan Sheikh, remains silent about these heinous and inhumane acts, preoccupied only with its own interests and those of its family. After a thorough investigation, we discovered that approximately $10 million is paid to Turkey every month.

Turkey plans to control Somalia in the near future and transform it into a new colony. It hides behind the facade of being the sole friend of the Somali people. This new coloniser of Somalia continues to plunder the country’s resources. Turkey has a hand in leading the country, and Hassan Sheikh has facilitated these crimes against the Somali people and the looting of the nation’s wealth.

Furthermore, some ministers are under pressure from the Turkish embassy in Mogadishu to continue doing the Turkish bidding. None of the ministers condemns these heinous acts that pose a challenge to Somalia’s sovereignty.

Once again, I appeal to the Somali government to stand firm and regain its severity from the clutches of Turkey. It is not that Somali people do not need outside help, but we need bilateral relations that respect the country’s sovereignty. We reiterate our warning that Somalia is under Turkish control, a new form of colonialism that plans to expand its influence in East Africa.

Mahmoud is the Chairman of the Somali Welfare Party and a candidate for the 2026 Federal Republic of Somalia presidential elections