Levent Kenez/Stockholm
An auto accident involving the son of the Somali president, which led to the death of a motorcycle courier in Turkey on November 30, triggered a diplomatic incident since the son left the country following the collision. The Turkish government confirmed expectations of his imminent return to surrender himself amid ongoing discussions surrounding the case.
On November 30 Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a son of the Somali president, was driving in traffic on Kennedy Avenue in İstanbul when he rear-ended a motorcycle ridden by Yunus Emre Göçer, who was rushed to a hospital. Despite doctors’ efforts to save him, Göçer passed away on December 6. It was later discovered that Mohamud had left the country after the incident.
Following the accident, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office initially stated that the motorcyclist was at fault for violating the lane-changing rule, as indicated in the accident report. The driver of the vehicle was not attributed any fault, and Mohamud, who had been detained, was released but accused of involuntary injury while Göçer was in intensive care at the hospital.
The initial expert report on the accident:
The prosecutor’s office also indicated that on December 7, the case was forwarded to a traffic expert, who on the same day stated that Göçer had no fault in the incident. Consequently, on December 8, an arrest warrant was issued for the driver.
Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç said that Mohamud would return to Turkey. Speaking at an event in Ankara on December 9, he referred to discussions with Somali judicial authorities, stating, “In the coming days, the defendant will come to Turkey and participate in the judicial proceedings. Tunç made another statement on December 14, once again announcing Mohamud’s return to Turkey.
The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office completed the investigation into the fatal accident and drafted a two-page indictment seeking a prison sentence of between two and six years for Mohamud on charges of involuntary manslaughter. The prosecution submitted the indictment to the relevant criminal court.
According to the indictment, in her statement on December 20, Yunus Emre Göçer’s wife, Öznur Göçer, said she did not have any complaints at that stage. However, in statements on December 13 and 15, Öznur Göçer said she had previously filed complaints.
It is speculated that the Somali side reached an agreement with the deceased courier’s wife regarding compensation, leading to the withdrawal of her complaints.
Mohamud stated in his testimony that he was not at fault in the incident and that the accident occurred because the motorcyclist was attempting an illegal turn on a road where such turns were prohibited.
The indictment also highlighted discrepancies between the expert report and the accident report. It was noted that the Institute of Forensic Medicine’s traffic specialization department had prepared a report on December 15 to resolve these discrepancies. A new report was drafted on December 18 upon a request for additional analysis based on footage of the accident that was added to the case file. This report indicated that the suspect was primarily at fault, while Göçer was partially at fault.
Meanwhile Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud extended his condolences to Öznur Göçer. At her lawyer’s office on December 18, Somali Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, who studied in Turkey and speaks Turkish fluently, expressed his condolences to Öznur Göçer and arranged a phone call between President Mohamud and the grieving widow.
During the phone conversation, the Somali president conveyed his condolences to Öznur Göçer, saying, “I am the Somali president and I am Mohamed Hassan’s father. I extend my deepest sympathies to your family. We are deeply saddened. Our hearts are with you. We are sorry for your loss. We respect Turkey and its judicial system. Everything will proceed in the right direction. As a father, I convey my condolences. We pray for our son Emre.”
However, the Somali president did not provide any information regarding whether his son would return to Turkey and surrender to the prosecutor.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke on the phone with the Somali president, according to a statement issued on January 5 by his office. During the conversation the leaders discussed Turkey-Somalia relations and counterterrorism efforts as well as global and regional issues. President Erdogan expressed Turkey’s solidarity with Somalia in combating terrorism and emphasized that the cooperation between the two countries would continue to grow.
Notably, the statement did not include any information about the traffic accident.
The opposition in Turkey has alleged that the government is attempting to divert attention away from the traffic accident. With the country gearing up for local elections on March 31, the public focus seems firmly fixed on the upcoming polls. There is speculation that the Somali president’s son might quietly return to Turkey to provide testimony in court, presumably without being subjected to pretrial detention. In Turkey, incidents involving shared culpability between the driver and the victim in traffic accidents often do not result in severe penalties, so the president’s son is not expected to face imprisonment.
Since 2011 Turkey has had a robust alliance with Somalia, initially stepping in to provide humanitarian aid during a famine. As part of its endeavors to bolster the country’s reconstruction, Turkey has actively engaged in various initiatives, including the establishment of schools, training programs for Somali soldiers and the implementation of infrastructure projects. Over the past decade, Turkey has significantly expanded its presence in Somalia, constructing a military base in the capital city and assuming control of vital infrastructural assets such as Aden Adde International Airport and the Port of Mogadishu, overseen by entities associated with President Erdogan.
In 2017 Turkey established its largest foreign military base, Camp TURKSOM, in Mogadishu, marking a significant escalation of Ankara’s involvement in the Horn of Africa nation. Spanning an area of four square kilometers and reportedly costing $50 million, the military training facility has the capacity to simultaneously train up to 1,500 soldiers.
In 2020 Turkey secured a series of concessions facilitating the exploration of oil, gas and mining prospects in Somalia, enabling both private and state-owned companies to explore energy opportunities in Somalia.
According to UN investigators Turkey violated UN sanctions on Somalia by supplying armed drones without UN notification or approval. It delivered Bayraktar drones produced by Erdoğan’s son-in-law’s company to Mogadishu on December 6, 2021, violating the UN arms embargo. Despite UN Security Council resolution requirements for pre-delivery clearance, Turkey failed to seek an exemption before transporting the drones. Turkey claimed the drones were for its counterterrorism efforts in Somalia, denying supplying them to Somali authorities as reported by UN experts on September 1, 2022.
