TURKEY-SOMALIA: FRIENDSHIP OR COLONISATION?

They say Turkey is ‘helping’ Somalia. But what kind of help is it if, in return, Ankara gets to keep Somali ports and oil, and expand its military footprint in the region?

For over a decade, Turkey has presented itself as Africa’s ‘Muslim brother,’ stepping into Somalia with aid, business deals and military training. But behind the humanitarian PR, who really benefits?

In Mogadishu, Turkey now runs two of Somalia’s most strategic assets: the airport and the seaport. A Turkish firm gets 45% of port revenues. That’s nearly half of Somalia’s maritime income going to a foreign country. Moreover, since signing a ten-year oil-exploration deal with Somalia, Turkey has made a 20-billion-barrel discovery worth 1.6 trillion dollars. And Ankara also has its biggest overseas military base in Somalia.

Let’s be honest: this is influence and exploitation, not solidarity and friendship. And this isn’t about Turkey and Somalia alone. It’s about Africa’s sovereignty, our right to negotiate on an equal footing, to develop without being cornered, to say ‘no’ when help comes with strings attached.

Because if we trade our ports, our oil and our independence for short-term support, who are we really building for?