ERDOGAN PICKS SIDES IN SOMALIA POLITICS AND HIS AKP RULING PARTY ALLIGNS WITH PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH’S UPD

The cat is out of the bag and Erdogan’s AKP party is no longer in hiding. AKP has established official presence in Villa Somalia, and its Deputy Chairman has signed an official agreement (https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-deepens-ties-somalia-and-ethiopia-through-political-deals) with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s ruling Union for Peace and Development Party (UPD).

Abukar Arman, one of Somalia’s most prolific political analysts, calls Erdogan’s latest attempt to take control of Somali local politics a strategic blunder. On X, Abukar writes, “This by far is the worst strategic step ever taken by Turkiye towards strengthening its strategic partnership with Somalia. Since 2011, Turkiye, led by the #AKP, has maintained neutrality within the zero-sum, clan-fueled Somali political structure. AKP picked a horse in coming race.”

ERDOGAN PICKS SIDES IN SOMALIA POLITICS AND HIS AKP RULING PARTY ALLIGNS WITH PRESIDENT HASSAN SHEIKH’S UPD

The cat is out of the bag and Erdogan’s AKP party is no longer in hiding. AKP has established official presence in @TheVillaSomalia and its Deputy Chairman has signed an… pic.twitter.com/Bh3b3VaPeB

— Daljir Media (@radiodaljir) January 30, 2025

MP Abdullaahi Hashi Abib goes even further than that. In a post titled “A New Colonialism and Turkey’s Direct Interference in Somalia’s Internal Politics: Somalia’s Sovereignty at Risk,” MP Abib directly accuses Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) of “openly interfering in Somalia’s internal political affairs, aligning itself with the current Union for Peace and Development Party (UPD) led by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.”

Since the signing of the Ankara Declaration granting landlocked Ethiopia the right to access Somali seas and Somalia’s Blue Economy, Turkey and Erdogan have lost their luster in Somalia. With Erdogan’s AKP ruling party now fully aligning itself with President Hassan Sheikh’s UPD, Turkey has taken note that the Somali people no longer want Turkey in their country, so Turkey is going for the jugular and has picked a side, as Abukar Arman calls, in Somalia’s “clan-fueled Somali political structure.”

Daljir has reached out to an unnamed influential Somali politician who is also a potential presidential candidate, and he tells Daljir that “Turkey made this mad political move because it recognizes it is now or never, and they are betting on President Hassan Sheikh’s reelection, whatever it takes.”

MP Abib also sees the dark side of Erdogan and he writes, “Turkey is no longer just an economic and military partner in Somalia; it is actively shaping the country’s political future in favor of its own interests.”

MP Abib, renown for his nationalism and fight against corruption, isn’t shocked as to why Turkey is picking sides in Somalia’s clan-driven politics. He writes that under Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration, Turkey has tremendously benefited from one-side deals in Somalia and President Hassan Sheikh has handed “control of the country’s natural resources and key infrastructure to Turkey.”

Is Somalia now a satellite state of Turkey?

With Villa Somalia attack on Raas Kaambooni and the failed attempt to remove President Madoobe of Jubaland still fresh on everyone’s mind, MP Abib now has serious concerns about the Turkish military training program that was initially introduced to support Somalia’s armed forces. MP Abib sees these Turkish-trained troops as “a tool to secure Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s grip on power.”

Comparing the two presidents, MP Abib writes, “President Erdoğan, who has ruled Turkey for two decades, appears to be grooming Mohamud for a similar extended rule in Somalia—transforming the country into a satellite state of the AKP.”

Is Turkey now exploiting Somalia?

As Somali perception of Turkey goes from bad to worse, Turkish intelligence is now employing trolls to try to sway public perception, but it is backfiring on them, and now Turkish trolls and their hired Somali agents are publicly insulting Somalis and Somalia’s political leaders other than President Hassan Sheikh, for daring to oppose Turkey and President Erdogan.

MP Abib is having none of that and calls on Somali people to reject Turkey’s new colonialism. “If Somalia does not act now, its sovereignty will be permanently compromised. Turkey is no longer just an economic partner; it is actively establishing a neo-colonial relationship, dictating Somalia’s policies, controlling its security forces, and exploiting its resources. The Somali people must resist this blatant foreign intervention, or risk losing their country to Turkey’s geopolitical ambitions and Ethiopia’s expanding influence,” Writes MP Abib.

A New Colonialism Turkey’s Direct Interference in Somalia’s Internal Politics: Somalia’s Sovereignty at Risk

For the first time, Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is openly interfering in Somalia’s internal political affairs, aligning itself with the current… pic.twitter.com/Yc73u5BweW

— MP Dr Abdillahi Hashi Abib (@MPDrAbib) January 30, 2025

MP Abib warns Somali people not to allow Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and his UPD party to sell out their nation’s future to Erdogan’s AKP party.

Contributed to by Daljir staff in Garoowe, Mogadishu and Nairobi.