Erdogan supports Farmaajo in Somalia to penetrate Horn of Africa

Mustafa Kamel

After Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s arrogance and provocative tone in which he has always spoken, Ankara has begun to use soft language in Somalia as a new method following the recent uprising in Somalia against outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed Farmaajo, whose term officially ended on February 8. The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs is sending messages of dealing with common sense and resolving internal disputes through comprehensive dialogues to reach an end to the crisis, which is merely an attempt to deny Ankara’s participation in the riots and the state of repression. The Somali Special Forces, which were trained by Turkey, are leading the state of oppression against the demonstrators protesting Farmaajo’s scheme to stay in power.

Soft language

Ankara, which has military bases in Somalia, has directed soft language at the country, as it tries to deny its participation in the suppression of angry demonstrators, expressing its concern about the recent developments and calling for an end to the violence.

Regarding resolving differences and understanding about the outcomes of the electoral process in Somalia, the Turkish Foreign Ministry called on all parties in Somalia to avoid actions that might lead to violence and to deal with common sense, stressing the importance of the federal government meeting with leaders of regional states and working to resolve differences through comprehensive and constructive dialogue based on the agreement reached on September 17, 2020.

However, Ankara appears to forget that Farmaajo’s forces were trained at Turkey’s Turksom military base in Mogadishu. It emphasized its confidence in the Somali people having the will to determine their future and political maturity, expressing its hopes for a speedy conclusion of an agreement based on mutual understanding regarding the electoral process. This was at a time when the Somali opposition demanded in December 2020 that Turkey stop sending shipments of police weapons, fearing that they would be used by Farmaajo to hijack the elections.

The Somali opposition accuses Ankara of military support for the regime, threatening to eventually return to the devastating civil war and turn Somalia once again into a fertile ground for terrorist organizations such as Al-Shabaab, which exploits political differences to escalate its attacks.

Continuous exploitation

Regarding the Turkish exploitation in Somalia to impose hegemony in Ankara’s interest, a report issued by Space in Africa revealed plans by Ankara to build a missile launch site in Somalia, which also hosts the largest Turkish training base in the world. The report stated that draft accounts of the Turkish government indicate that the construction and maintenance of a space port in Somalia will cost more than $350 million.

Desiring to penetrate into the countries of the Horn of Africa, Ankara is exploiting Somalia for military purposes, amid notable international and African laxity, after the decision of the African Union mission to Somalia to withdraw a number of its forces, which opened the door to Turkish penetration. In addition, the US decision to reduce the number of its soldiers in Somalia opened the way for Ankara to intervene and control all aspects of the state, as a number of Turkish forces are stationed inside Somalia at the largest Turkish military base in the world, and this is evident in the turmoil facing Somalia at the present time.

On the other hand, Greek security and media reports indicate that the Turkish government is using Somali refugees as a pressure card to blackmail European Union countries after the number of Syrians crossing the borders decreased, especially following the European sanctions on Turkey.