Levent Kenez/Stockholm
Turkey and Somalia signed a new memorandum of understanding to enhance cooperation in the energy sector on Thursday.
Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar announced that he has signed an intergovernmental agreement and memorandum of understanding with his Somali counterpart, Abdirisak Omar Mohamed, to enhance cooperation in the energy sector.
“… with this agreement, we will conduct joint activities to ensure that Somalia’s resources benefit the Somali people. We aim to strengthen Turkey’s presence in the Horn of Africa through new energy partnerships,” said Bayraktar.
This agreement between the two countries, which already enjoy close ties, is actually a continuation of a recently signed defense and economic cooperation agreement. According to the agreement signed on February 8, about which Ankara has not provided many details, Turkey offers defense support in exchange for a series of economic concessions.
The Mogadishu administration also aims for significant oil production in waters to be secured by Turkey. Research indicates that there are proven reserves of 35 billion barrels of oil in the Somali maritime zone.
Turkey will share in the revenue from oil and gas extraction in the region in exchange for the defense it provides, earning 30 percent of the revenue from extraction that Turkey contributes to. The agreement also envisages Turkey having privileged access to the special economic zone.
The agreement also represents the realization of a statement by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in which he mentioned that the Somali administration had offered Turkey the opportunity to extract oil from Somali lands, mirroring Turkey’s activities in Libya.
However, to date, Turkey has not undertaken any concrete projects related to oil extraction or natural gas exploration in Libya.
On February 21 Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud announced the approval of a 10-year defense and economic cooperation agreement with Turkey by both the executive and legislative branches of Somalia.
According to Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, Turkey will be responsible for establishing, training, and equipping the Somali navy under the terms of the agreement.
Barre emphasized that the agreement aims to address concerns such as terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing and other external threats to Somalia’s coastline, which is the longest in Africa. He praised Turkey as a trustworthy ally.
President Mohamud also highlighted Turkey’s existing assistance to Somalia, including humanitarian and financial aid and security force training.
This agreement comes amid heightened tensions between Somalia and Ethiopia, sparked by Ethiopia’s memorandum of understanding with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia.
Under this memorandum Somaliland would lease approximately 20 kilometers of coastline to landlocked Ethiopia, granting access to the Red Sea. In return, Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as an independent nation. However, Ethiopia has yet to confirm this recognition officially.
President Mohamud clarified that the agreement with Turkey is not directed against Ethiopia but rather aims to enhance Somalia’s defense capabilities.
According to a Somali official speaking anonymously to VOA Somali, the agreement includes the deployment of Turkish warships in Somali waters and collaboration on marine resource exploitation.
The Turkish opposition has expressed concern over Turkey’s involvement in the tensions and risks of conflict in the Red Sea as a result of the agreement. However, since the details of the agreement have not yet reached members of parliament, information regarding its content is now limited.
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 Erdogan’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.
As a side note, Mohamed Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, a son of the Somali president, collided with a motorcycle driven by Yunus Emre Göçer on November 30 in Istanbul. Göçer, who was injured and hospitalized, tragically passed away on December 6. Later, it was discovered that Mohamud had left the country. Following a public outcry, Mohamud secretly returned to Turkey, where he was fined $843, and the case was closed. Additionally Turkish media reported that the Mohamud family reached a confidential agreement with Göçer’s widow, agreeing to pay compensation .The Somali president’s gratitude towards Erdogan for his intervention, resulting in his son’s avoiding a prison sentence, has also surfaced in reports.
