Turkey Deepens Its Influence in Somalia by Land, Sea, and Oil as Red Sea Routes Ignite

Turkey is now operating F-16 fighter jets and armed Bayraktar TB2 drone systems from Somali territory, while European Union researchers have documented the first recorded ground engagement by Turkish forces against Al-Shabaab, according to reports.

The roots of this presence trace back to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Mogadishu in 2011, but its scope has expanded to include military training through the TURKSOM center, established in 2017, where more than one-third of Somali security force personnel have graduated. A Turkish company operates the city's main port, the country's largest hospital bears the name of the Turkish president, and Mogadishu hosts the world's largest Turkish embassy complex.

On the energy front, Turkey Petroleum began drilling operations in the "Grad-1" well in April, located approximately 370 kilometers from Mogadishu, marking Turkey's first offshore drilling operations outside its borders. Turkey is also positioning itself among the leading candidates to build a new port north of the Somali capital.

These arrangements gain additional weight as disturbances in neighboring sea lanes intensify: the near-complete closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to conflict with Iran, alongside Houthi attacks around Bab al-Mandeb, have reshaped the map of international maritime shipping, granting Somalia's geographic position escalating strategic importance.

Within this landscape, regional powers' positions diverge sharply: both Turkey and Saudi Arabia support Somali territorial unity and central government sovereignty, and have specifically criticized Israel's recognition of Somaliland. Somalia subsequently concluded military cooperation agreements with both Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In contrast, the UAE and Israel have developed relations with Somaliland and semi-autonomous regions, with Israel announcing its formal recognition of Somaliland last year. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan are bound by the Mecca Treaty for mutual defense.