Hargeisa (Horn Post) The question of whether Turkey is supporting terrorist groups operating in Somalia to influence or ultimately capture—the state apparatus has increasingly become a subject of political and security debate. This is not merely a contemporary concern, but one rooted in earlier ideological currents and strategic thinking that date back to the early 1990s.
Sefer Turan, a well-known journalist and now a senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is widely regarded as one of the key intellectual architects shaping Turkey’s policy toward the Islamic world, the Arab region, and Africa. In the early 1990s, Turan published a series of articles on Somalia in a clandestinely circulated Turkish journal titled Yeryüzü. The magazine served as a platform for writers aligned with the Islamist political current that today forms the backbone of the ruling party in Turkey.
In these writings, Turan strongly defended the Islamist organization Al-Itihaad Al-Islami, dismissing allegations that Iran had supplied the group with weapons to fuel extremism in Somalia. At the same time, he advanced highly emotive claims, including accusations that Israel had abducted Somali orphans and forcibly taken them abroad, and that Western humanitarian organizations were engaged in the Christianization of Somali children. Such narratives were widely seen as designed to inflame public sentiment, foster hostility toward external actors, and cultivate the perception that Turkey was Somalia’s sole genuine ally and protector.
Regional security experts argue that this ideological framework based on mobilizing religious identity and positioning Turkey as the exclusive defender of Muslim societies—was not accidental, but strategic. According to these assessments, the approach formulated by Turan and like-minded figures close to Erdoğan has, over time, evolved from rhetoric into policy. Critics contend that Ankara has sought to pave the way for Islamist groups to gain decisive influence over Somalia’s political future.
Allegations have also surfaced claiming that Turkish authorities provided financial resources and weapons to extremist groups operating in Somalia. Efforts to investigate these alleged links, according to security analysts, were reportedly obstructed during Erdoğan’s tenure as Prime Minister. While such claims remain contested, they continue to fuel suspicion among regional and international observers.
Western analysts monitoring Somalia further warn that militant groups are believed to receive external backing from multiple actors, including Turkey, Qatar, Afghanistan, and Iran. There is growing concern that this convergence of support could enable extremist organizations to undermine or even overthrow—the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, posing a severe threat to Somalia’s fragile stability and to security across the Horn of Africa.
Ultimately, the debate over Turkey’s role in Somalia is complex and deeply contested. However, when earlier ideological writings, contemporary political strategies, and ongoing security concerns are examined together, they raise a serious and unresolved question: is Turkey acting solely as a humanitarian and strategic partner to Somalia, or is it pursuing a calculated agenda that empowers Islamist actors whose long-term impact may jeopardize Somali statehood and regional security?
Athor Hanad A Yuusuf: Hanadc687@gmail.com
