Turkey started building a rocket launch facility in Somalia on 20 December 2024, following an
announcement made a few month ago. Somalia president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said
“the facility will create jobs and generate revenue for Somalia”.
The exact position of the facility is not known but the country’s location makes it a perfect place to launch rockets as the potential debris would directly fall into the Indian Ocean and the proximity with the equator reduces the energy necessary to the launch.
Turkish space investment in Somalia is the concrete answer to two of President Erdogan’s strategic priorities: making Turkey a space nation and investing in the Horn of Africa. Concerning space, Turkey is engaged in a 10-year plan which started in 2021 and has ambitious objectives such as the development of a satellite system or the creation of a spaceport. For the first time ever, a Turkish citizen flew to space in 2024. Alper Gezeravcı stayed at the ISS for nearly three weeks.
Regarding Turkish presence in the East African country, Ankara has invested in various sectors including health and education, but also defense and hydrocarbon exploration. While the Turkish army has been training Somali forces since 2017 at the TURKSOM training camp, Ankara and Mogadishu signed an agreement in August 2024 granting Turkish Petroleum exclusive rights to prospect over 15,000km2 of Somali territorial waters. Turkey is also involved as a mediator in the conflict between Somalia and Ethiopia, after the latter signed an agreement with the separatist region of Somaliland, leasing 20km of coastline in exchange for recognizing its independence.
Highlighting the importance Turkey takes in the region, president Mohamud said: “I personally believe that the importance of Somalia hosting a launchpad for Turkish satellites is even more significant than the billions of dollars and opportunities that the project will generate”.
Somalia is still under an UN-imposed arms embargo, which started at the beginning of the civil war. This embargo was loosened in 2013 to allow the sale of light weapons. Consequently, Turkey was able to deliver to Somalia 450 MPT-76 assault rifle from the firm MKEK in August 2024. Somalia and Turkey also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in February stating that Turkey will reconstruct, equip and train the Somali Navy against 30% of the revenue of Somalia’s exclusive economic zone, but it is still unclear what Somalia will receive.
Bilateral relations between Turkey and Somalia date back from the Ottoman Empire. Both Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu and Somali Embassy in Ankara officially opened in 1979. The Turkish representation re-opened in 2011 after a 20-year closure due to civil war. Turkey also has a consulate in Hargeisa, the de-facto capital city of Somaliland. In 2022, bilateral trade reached $389mn, with Turkey exporting $386mn, a quarter of it being pasta, while Somalia exported $2.5mn, led by $1.5mn in oily seeds.
Written by ADIT – The Bulletin and republished with permission.
