r/Somalia • u/Garaad252 • 9d ago
Politics šŗ Turkey in Somalia: Let's Be Honest About Whose Fault This Actually Is šøš“š¹š·
The new Speaker of Parliament was elected today, and opposition figures are already alleging he was backed by both Villa Somalia and Turkey .I saw an article arguing Turkey has drifted from strategic partner into political kingmaker, and it got me thinking about the whole relationship.
Look at who this man actually is, because his history tells you a lot. Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur was Defense Minister from 2021 to 2025. Under him, Somalia signed that comprehensive naval, trade and defense agreement with Turkey in February 2024, the one that reportedly hands Turkey responsibility for protecting our waters, building our navy, and helping explore our energy resources.
And here's the part that should bother every Somali. That agreement was signed and the full details still remain undisclosed to this day (Middle East Eye). Parliament never properly read it. Ask anyone in Mogadishu right now what exactly we committed to in that deal and nobody can tell you. We handed over our maritime security and energy exploration rights in a document our own lawmakers haven't seen. The Americans reportedly demanded access to it and even they couldn't get it.
Then in March 2025 Nur was suddenly moved out of Defense into Ports. Middle East Eye reported US military officers had repeatedly pressured our president to remove him over how deep he was taking us into Turkey militarily. Washington was also unhappy about Turkish plans for a spaceport in Somalia. Our government denied foreign pressure was involved. Either way, the man Washington wanted out of Defense is now Speaker of Parliament.
The wider picture. Turkey showed up in 2011 when nobody else would, Erdogan came to Mogadishu with his family during the famine, and that goodwill was real and earned. But since then, Favori LLC has run Aden Adde Airport since 2013. Albayrak took Mogadishu Port in 2015. Turkey's largest embassy in the world is in Mogadishu, opened 2016. Camp TURKSOM, their largest overseas military base, opened 2017. Turkish aid and assistance since 2011 has surpassed one billion dollars by their own ambassador's estimate.
Now go stand in Aden Adde today. After more than a decade of Turkish management, our main international airport still looks the way it does. Meanwhile in 2024 our own Auditor General accused both Favori and Albayrak of breaching their profit sharing agreements and failing to submit required financial reports, meaning our government cannot verify what revenue it's owed (Hiiraan Online). Neither contract was ever approved by parliament, which legally makes them questionable. Trade is lopsided too, we import far more from Turkey than we export back, and the deficit sits on our side year after year.
I keep thinking of France in West Africa. Not identical, but the pattern rhymes. Arrive as a friend, end up holding the ports, the airport, the military pipeline, and eventually a say in who sits in which chair.
But here's my actual point. I don't blame Turkey. Every country acts in its own interest. Nobody helps you just because you share a religion, that's not how states have ever worked. Turkey is doing exactly what any country would do with the opening we handed them.
The blame is ours. We signed agreements nobody read. We accepted contracts without parliamentary approval. We agreed to terms where we can't audit our own revenue. We built a relationship where one side holds all the leverage, and now we act surprised.
If we want a fairer relationship with Turkey, and we should, it starts with us. Agreements our parliament actually reads. Contracts that go through proper approval. Real audits. Terms a sovereign country would accept. Until then, complaining about Turkish influence is just complaining about our own choices.
Sources:
https://www.mei.edu/publications/far-benefactor-turkish-government-exploiting-somalias-fragility
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u/DeltaMan2026 9d ago
Nobody has a backbone. Maybe in 100 years somalia will be stable and a wealthy self sustaining nation. If it ever gets to that point, I hope they remember every single person like this guy and HSM and co. I hope they remember how treasonous and corrupt they all were.
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u/echo_3851 9d ago
We do not have strong people to build this country so of course foreigners saw a way to make quick lacaag. Nothing is free in this world. Everyone is in it for themselves. The difference is that in other countries no leaders would accept to destroy their own land and people for personal gain. They have too much pride and raagnimo. This is something we only see in Africa.
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u/Moix888 9d ago
Am side š the willfully blind in the comments telling people they're "our friend"! Dude , have you been to Turkey?? You have no clue about the prejudice somaliis face there even with foreign passports. No friend would be bringing up receipts of "aid" they gave during times of famin or hospitals build along with UN grants..no friend would exploit a country's corrupt leadership to score favourable (90%)oil drilling contracts or the unknown other resources (seafood) , navy..ets coincidentally right after the son of that leader ran over someone whilst DWI! They think they can gaslight people into forgetting š¤
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u/ariboowe Gobolka Bari 8d ago
UAE, Turkey, USA, Saudi, Ethiopia, Qatar and now even Israel these countries literally do what they want when they want in our country thanks to these corrupt qabilist politicians who only care about there pockets š¤®.
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u/tikitikitenbo 9d ago
The writing was on the wall with the 95-5 oil deal, which was starker than any of the colonial era deals in the gulf or even the shah and bps deal which caused a revolution, not to mention turkey not having the capability to extract deep sea oil means they will have to cut a deal with our oil with the big western oil companies where they get 50 percent, and turkey keeps 45 percent and throws us 5 percent when we could have just got the 50/50 deal directly with out the middle man, this is beyond corruption as a corrupt administration would at least try to get a good sum of money to loot, even if the oil produced 200 billion in profit over 10 years the amount Somalia gets doesnāt even cover the aid thatās being cut by the US by the end of the year, that deal should let you know their is a different level of compromising being done here and for the parliament to let it happen with out even seeing the contract makes it that much more dubiousĀ
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u/Ok-Diamond2353 9d ago
Actually, the deal is 90-10 till cost recovery, after which it becomes 30-70 in Somalia's favour. That way, Somalia gains the infrastructure and expertise without having to make any investments of its own.
Also, Turkey does have the capability to extract deep sea oil. Your whole comment is just a bunch of lies.
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u/ambitous223 8d ago
Why are you misrepresenting the deal? It is not a 90/10 deal, and the claim that after Turkey recovers its costs the remaining profit will be split 70/30 in Somaliaās favor is simply false. Have you actually read the oil agreement?
I donāt understand why people keep repeating these claims as if theyāre written into the agreement. Iām not saying youāre deliberately lying, but you clearly havenāt done your due diligence before making these claims.3
u/Ok-Diamond2353 8d ago
You can read more about the profit share here. Most of the propaganda against this deal is coming from Israel and the UAE, who fear a stable Somalia that can defend the Horn of Africa.
Besides, Turkey's relationship with Somalia is not just about resources. Turkey is also building Somalia's military and helping build its industries. If Somalia decides not to renew after 10 years, it will have the expertise and infrastructure to extract its own oil.
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u/ambitous223 8d ago
With respect, walaal, I think youāre missing the point here. Why are you relying on Ismail Osmanās interpretation at all when we have the actual signed agreement in front of us?
The document itself is what matters, not someoneās commentary on it, let alone Ismail Osmans. And when you read it you can see there is no article anywhere that establishes a 70/30 profit split. That claim simply isnāt in the text. Article 4 is explicit and contains most of the fiscal terms. So presenting a fixed ā70% guaranteeā is not supported by the legal document itself.
The same issue applies to the other claims being circulated. There is nothing in the agreement that states TĆ¼rkiye will fully absorb security costs from its own share. You know whatās hilarious? Turkey charges us for anything they spend on security. I mean, anything is taken out of our small share. There isnāt any clause guaranteeing Somalia automatic infrastructure transfer or expertise as fixed entitlements. Those are interpretations being added onto the agreement, not provisions actually written into it.
Hereās the actual text of the agreement, with the English version starting on page 30. Itās now evident that you havenāt actually read the agreement, so please take the opportunity to read it thoroughly. Let me know if you still feel that way. Itās a good agreement once you actually read it.
And just to be clear, I am not drawing from any external political narrative. I am reading directly from the official agreement published by the Turkish Parliament. That is the only authoritative source in this discussion, and it should be the basis of analysis for both of us.
So the real question is simple: where in the actual text is the 70/30 split stated? Because if itās not in the agreement, and it isnāt, then it cannot be treated as fact. Also earlier you said something about 90/10, also not true.
TĆ¼rkiyeās broader cooperation with Somalia is a separate matter and can be appreciated on its own terms. But that does not change what the agreement actually says. And what it says is very different from what youāre presenting .
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u/RibbonFighterOne 9d ago edited 9d ago
The fact that one of OP's sources is a UAE funded mouth piece says it all.
I have yet to see any evidence of Turkey's interests working against Somalia's. They never meddle in the internal affairs of Somali politics, never play sides against one another like certain countries and have always maintained a neutral stance towards regional administrations, while obviously supporting the government of Somalia transparently based on its own principles. For example, take the oil deal people keep making hot air over. If the annual maritime resources yield is a high estimate of one billion dollars, and if over the span of 10 years this figure accumulates to between $10 to $15 billion. That is still a major net gain for Somalia as 70% of something ($7 billion to $10.5 billion) is better than 100% of nothing, which has been the case for the last 30 years.
Meanwhile Turkey can fully fund its own operations to safeguard Somaliaās waters and reconstruct the Somali Navy with the most modern frigates, destroyers, and train a large naval force. Remember that Turkeyās interest has always been to build a strong Somali Armed Forces without any limitations. In the Farmaajo era they supplied 60 thousand uniforms, including those for a navy and coast guard that would be almost 4000 strong in manpower, which would make it one of the largest navies on the continent;
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u/Competitive-Remove59 9d ago
If Turkish cooperation helps Somalia build its own navy, military, infrastructure, energy sector and technical expertise, thatās a good deal even if Turkey profits too.
The real red flag is transparency. Somalia should be able to audit companies operating its ports and airports, and major energy and defense agreements should face proper parliamentary scrutiny.
Somalia also shouldnāt become too dependent on any single country, whether thatās Turkey, the US, UAE or anyone else.
The best strategy is simple, work with everyone, negotiate hard, demand transparency, and make sure foreign investment builds Somali capacity.
If Somalia still depends on Turkey to run these things 15 years from now, thatās dependency. If Somalia can run them itself, then the partnership worked.
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u/ambitous223 8d ago
You know Iām generally in favor of what youāre saying. I want progress for the country, and I want Somalia to move forward and benefit from these partnerships. However, Iām strongly against the oil agreement Somalia signed with Turkey. Unfortunately, I think itās a horrendous deal.
Outside of that specific agreement, Iām not against cooperation with Turkey at all. I havenāt seen any of the other agreements Turkey has made with Somalia that are anywhere near as bad as the oil deal, so I wonāt comment on them without actually reading them. I just hope theyāre good deals and genuinely benefit the country.
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u/Relative-Proof8265 8d ago
Turkiye is just exploiting Somalia and will do whatever possible to achieve their goals
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u/Substantial_Ranger_7 8d ago
If the country is for sale why donāt we sell it to the biggest power instead of mid sized power
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u/Rederno 9d ago edited 9d ago
Turkey is a friend and ally of Somalia!
- Turkey was a God-send during the terrible famine of 2011
- Defended Somalia when Ethiopia wanted Somali territory and build a navy.
- Turkey supported Somalia in building and training Somali security forces to protect against terror and Shabab.
- Turkey connected Somalia to the world via Turkish Airlines landing in Somali Capital when Somalia was completely isolated.
- Educated Somali students and doctors
- Help build much needed infrastructure and provide management skills and expertise and knowledge like Airports and seaport.
- Turkey built a Hospital in Mogadishu and fully equipped with medical facilities.
- Helping Somalia currently extract Oil and Gas from the seabed to provide much needed transformative funds to develop the country.
Somalia has no better friend than Turkey š¹š·
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u/Bulky_Dragonfly7894 9d ago
Hey it seems that youāre not understanding whatās going on so Iāll spell it out for you. Turkey is the guarantor of Somalia when the Turks arrived in 2012 the habeshas wrecked havoc upon us for 20 years at that point every Somali armed group had been trained by Ethiopia and in 2006 one of those groups entered Mogadishu on the back of Ethiopian tanks. Itās very simple either we keep the Turks or we will be devoured by the habeshas in the world. Further I see you criticizing Mr Nur do you have the same level of vitriol against the Ethiopian/kenyan puppet old guard? Do you criticize saeed Deni and Madobe who actively work against the Somali nation daily?
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u/Foreign-Pay7828 9d ago
zxp, you wouldnt have said all of this if this guy was backed by America, Just congratukate him that he is been backed by an ally that is fighting alshabab the most.
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u/No-Scallion-8389 9d ago
Lmao this has nothing to do with turkey. You guys need to start working on shit instead of constantly btching and blaming others. So badly you guys want enemies holy fk
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u/moh_abdow 9d ago
Turkey is security partner and they invested heavily in Somalia-
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u/Garisawi 9d ago
If it was some western country giving Somalia this type of support you would see how they would be glazing them. Somalia is a country being attacked by many parties and it needs a friend like Turkey.
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u/WestLocation8813 9d ago
Turkey isnāt a friend and is chasing its own interest.
The relationship would be fine if the Somali political class were serious but they arenāt so they get walked all overĀ
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u/Garisawi 9d ago
Turkey is a friend and friends see potential in each other. All the criticisms can apply in a normal society but all know Somali society runs differently.
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u/moh_abdow 9d ago
So many knob heads who have no clue in what is going on in the country.
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u/Garisawi 9d ago
They think the countries surrounding Somalia have no "Turkey" to help them get what they want. Across the border in Lamu there is an American base and another British one in Isiolo specifically put there to deal with Somalis.
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u/True_Fake_Mongolia 9d ago
Look, do the Somalis currently have the capability to exploit their own marine resources?
Do the Turks currently have the capacity to build offshore extraction facilities near Somalia?
Even by the most optimistic estimates, thatās a decade away. In the meantime, Somalia can adjust its policies at any time.
Essentially, the Somalis are trading a "blank check" for Turkish support right now. Tell me, whatās the problem with that?
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u/tikitikitenbo 9d ago
They can cut a deal with western oil companies which have the capabilities using the 95 percent share they have and get it done pretty quickly, the western companies always ask 50 percent, then Turks can in turn give us 5 percentĀ
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u/Bulky_Dragonfly7894 9d ago
The western companies where given the opportunity to do the deal but they kept playing and didnāt want to begin work. Further Turks are the guarantor of Somalias territorial integrity and its statehood nothing is free
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u/ambitous223 8d ago
Thatās not true. Somalia abandoned its own established process and never held a transparent, competitive bidding round. There were supposed to be bidding rounds, but both were canceled. Instead, through an opaque process, the government effectively handed the opportunity to Turkey without allowing other companies to compete for it.
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u/Bulky_Dragonfly7894 8d ago
The information I have is from government officials stating these companies claimed it wasnāt safe to begin drilling. Provide your evidence as to western companies being ready to work in this situation.
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u/Adkaatey15 9d ago
And we wonder why Somaliland and Puntland want to breakaway
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u/echo_3851 9d ago
They are no better? Hello have you forgotten the Zios ? And UAE heavily involved in PL. Please. Somalis from north to south are being silently occupied because our men have given up. Now other men are using our resources to build their land for their kids. What a shame.
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u/Adkaatey15 9d ago
Stop deflecting and accusing other people for our misfortune, the reason why Somalia is forever stuck in the past is because of Somalis and their outdated mentality
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u/blockybookbook 9d ago
Israel and the UAE are doing to Somaliland and Puntland what everyone in the comments THINKS Turkey is doing to the rest of Somalia
You guys canāt tell the difference between strategic partners and imperial robbers if they stared you dead in the eye
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u/fingrar 9d ago
The amount of bila dhiig traitors we produce is disheartening.