Turkey on Wednesday denied claims that it was using its military presence in Somalia to pressure opposition groups and support a political actor, after Somali media reported Turkish military activity in the skies over Mogadishu during protests against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud ahead of a disputed mandate deadline.
Turkey’s Center for Combating Disinformation (DMM), a government unit under the Turkish presidency’s Directorate of Communications, said claims shared on social media that Turkey was interfering in Somalia’s internal politics were “entirely unfounded.”
“Turkish military personnel have absolutely no involvement in Somalia’s electoral processes or internal political dynamics,” the DMM said in an English-language statement on X.
The DMM said Turkey’s presence in Somalia was based on cooperation with the Federal Government of Somalia and aimed at strengthening the country’s security, stability and state institutions.
The denial came after Somali media and commentators claimed that Turkish military assets had been used as a show of support for Mohamud as opposition groups prepared protests in Mogadishu, the Somali capital.
The Somali Guardian reported Sunday that two Turkish F-16 fighter jets flew over Mogadishu on the first day of opposition protests and that Turkish-supplied armored vehicles had been deployed at major intersections in the city. The outlet described the move as a signal of support for Mohamud days before what opposition figures say is the end of his constitutional term on May 15.
Turkish authorities did not directly refer to the report but denied claims that Ankara was using its military forces to put pressure on the Somali opposition or support a specific political actor.
Somalia, located in the Horn of Africa, has been facing a new political crisis over constitutional changes and the timing of elections.
Opposition figures and several regional leaders argue that Mohamud’s mandate expires on May 15, while authorities say the term has been extended, according to Reuters.
Protesters gathered in Mogadishu on May 10 against what they described as an electoral impasse under Mohamud’s leadership.
Somalia’s parliament in March backed constitutional changes that could extend the president’s term by one year and delay planned elections. Analysts said at the time that the effects of the amendments remained unclear and did not automatically extend the current president’s term.
The dispute follows earlier turmoil in parliament. In January, scuffles and shouting broke out during a joint parliamentary session after the speaker attempted to advance constitutional amendments that opposition lawmakers said could extend parliament’s mandate, The Associated Press reported.
Somalia has operated under a provisional constitution since 2012, and efforts to finalize it have exposed divisions over governance, federalism and power-sharing between the central government and regional states.
Turkey has become one of Somalia’s closest foreign partners over the past decade.
Ankara opened its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu in 2017 to train Somali soldiers. Turkey also provides training to Somali military and police forces and has built schools, hospitals and infrastructure in the country.
In February 2024 Turkey and Somalia signed a defense and economic cooperation agreement under which Turkey said it would help Somalia improve maritime security and protect its territorial waters.
The agreement came as Somalia was locked in a dispute with Ethiopia over Somaliland, a self-declared republic that broke away from Somalia in 1991 but is not recognized internationally as an independent state by most countries.
The DMM said Wednesday that Turkey’s military presence and training activities in Somalia were directed toward restructuring the Somali National Army, modernizing security institutions and improving counterterrorism capabilities.
The center said Turkey supported the “peaceful continuation” of Somalia’s democratic process and respected the country’s sovereignty and the will of the Somali people.
Somalia has faced conflict and weak central authority since the 1991 fall of military ruler Mohamed Siad Barre. The country also continues to fight al-Shabab, an al Qaeda-linked militant group that controls parts of the countryside and carries out attacks in major population centers.