Ankara (Somalia Today) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asked parliament to extend the deployment of Turkish forces in Somalia for another two years, as Ankara seeks to maintain its growing security role in the Horn of Africa country.
The presidential motion, submitted to the Grand National Assembly on Friday, July 17, would renew the current mandate from July 27, 2026, allowing Turkish troops to remain in Somalia and its maritime zones until July 2028.
“Somalia’s security and stability are important for the entire region,” the motion said, adding that continued Turkish assistance would support military training, technical advice and the rebuilding of Somalia’s defence institutions.
Under the proposal, Erdogan would determine the size, scope and timing of the deployment. Turkish forces could operate in areas agreed by Ankara and Mogadishu, including Somali maritime zones, and work with third countries or international organisations.
The mission would help Somalia confront terrorism, piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and other security threats, according to the motion.
Economic constraints
The document said Somalia’s defence and security forces had sufficient personnel and other resources, but economic difficulties had prevented them from reaching the required operational level.
It said the Somali government had formally requested continued Turkish military assistance under the defence and economic cooperation framework agreed by the two countries.
Turkey has trained and advised Somali forces for more than a decade, including at TURKSOM, a military academy that opened in Mogadishu in 2017 and serves as Ankara’s largest overseas military training facility.
The academy has trained thousands of Somali soldiers, including members of the elite Gorgor commandos. Turkey has also trained and supported Somali police officers, particularly members of the specially trained Haramcad units.
The proposed extension follows a two-year authorisation approved by the Turkish parliament in July 2024, after Ankara and Mogadishu signed a 10-year defence and economic cooperation agreement.
The earlier motion authorised Turkish forces to help Somalia fight terrorism and other security threats while supporting efforts to rebuild the country’s defence institutions.
The wider agreement gave Turkey a major role in developing Somalia’s naval capacity and protecting its long coastline along the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
“Upon request from Somalia, we will provide support in the field of maritime security,” a Turkish defence official said when the agreement was announced in 2024.
“We will help Somalia develop its capacity and capabilities to combat illegal and irregular activities in its territorial waters,” the official added.
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre described the accord at the time as “a historic day for the country”, saying Somalia had gained “a true ally, a friend, and a brother”.
Al-Shabaab fight
Turkey’s role has continued to grow as Somalia wages a long-running military campaign against Al-Shabaab, the Al-Qaeda-linked group that has fought for nearly two decades to overthrow the internationally backed federal government.
The new motion said Turkish support would address immediate threats while helping Somalia build institutions capable of assuming full responsibility for the country’s security.
It said the partnership would also help Somalia protect its economic resources and strengthen security around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and nearby waters.
Those waterways form part of a vital international trade route linking the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
Ankara also operates under a separate parliamentary mandate for Turkish naval forces taking part in international operations against piracy, armed robbery and maritime terrorism in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.
Turkey extended that mandate in January for another year from February 10, 2026. Turkish forces have participated in regional anti-piracy operations since 2009 and have commanded the multinational Combined Task Force 151 seven times.
Expanding partnership
Military cooperation forms part of a broader Turkish presence in Somalia that expanded after Erdogan, then Turkey’s prime minister, visited Mogadishu during the devastating famine of 2011.
Since then, Turkey has built hospitals and schools, provided scholarships and humanitarian aid, and invested in major infrastructure projects. Turkish-linked companies also operate Mogadishu’s seaport and international airport.
The relationship has more recently expanded into the energy sector.
Turkey’s Cagri Bey drilling vessel arrived off Somalia in April for Ankara’s first overseas deep-sea drilling mission. It is targeting the Curad-1 well, about 372 kilometres from Mogadishu, following earlier seismic surveys.
The operation, expected to last up to 288 days, highlights the growing link between Ankara’s security presence and its economic interests in Somali waters.
The security partnership also benefited from the UN Security Council’s decision in December 2023 to lift the arms embargo imposed on Somalia’s federal government in 1992. A separate embargo remains in place against Al-Shabaab.
Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party and its nationalist MHP allies hold 323 of the 592 occupied seats in parliament, making approval of the extension highly likely.
