The Horn Of Africa States: The Turkey Page – OpEd
The geo-strategic location of the Horn of Africa States always comes to mind when writing about the region. It is not strange and its is not a novelty. This has been the case for always. The connection between Asia, Europe and Africa, the three old continents, which it represents remains not only a supply chain bridge but also a security focal point. And it is why so many countries both from near and far are involved in its affairs. It should not, therefore, be a surprise for Türkiye to be involved in the region.
What is a surprise, and a novelty is Türkiye coming into the region when it appeared to have been abandoned by the rest of the world, even the closest countries to the region - the Arab world on the other side of the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, who lived on the bounties of the Horn of Africa in the past, before they found the oil wealth under their feet and forgot to return the goodwill of the Somalis towards them.
It is how Türkiye came and won the day, in the very Horn of the continent, when its President, His Excellency, Recep Taib Erdogan with all his family members showed up in Mogadishu in 2011, at a time of a great famine and great misery in the country and the region due to droughts and other malaises including wars, conflicts, and terrorism. No one expected an international leader such as President Erdogan represented to pay a visit to a dying city such as Mogadishu represented at the time. Somalis recorded the moment in their psyches and could never forget to return the goodness of Türkiye at the time. They would forever be grateful to President Erdogan and the Turkish people and country as discussions with many Somalis explain and demonstrate.
The Horn of Africa, also known as the Somali Peninsula, currently consists of four countries, namely Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Djibouti. Some parties include Sudan at times and at times Kenya. It is a region generally inhabited by some seventy million Somalis who own some 1.3 million square km of the region’s land space of some 2 million sq. km spread over some four countries (Somalia proper, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya).
It is a region marked by fragile governance, terrorism, illegal activities including arms trade and human trafficking, civil and religious wars and countless other difficulties. The region was generally outside the orbit of the resource competition, which mostly stayed in south, central and west Africa, but which suddenly in the past few decades moved to the eastern African region and hence the Horn of Africa States region.
The problems of the Horn of Africa States region was mostly related to the problems of Somalia where the activities of the United Nations over the past three to four decades involving UNSOM I, UNITAF, AND UNSOM II and African activities involving IGADSOM, AMISOM and ATMIS all seems to have failed, as they appear not to be genuine but resource exploitation ploys using international and multilateral organizations – a similar case to that of DR Congo which remains continuing unabated despite the involvement of the good organizations.
Many actors are involved in the country and region for their own interests, and these include among others Europe, the US, China, Russia, Gulf countries, India and others. The geo-strategic location of the country and region and the resources and in particular oil and gas and other energy sources such as uranium, a third of world reserves, could not be ignored.
The Turkish foreign policy and economic priorities required Türkiye to move on into Africa like many other rising economies and the opportunity, which the Horn of Africa presented was too important to ignore. The great famine of the region and in particular in Somalia where the lives of thousands and, indeed, millions were at risk was a great opening opportunity and Türkiye rightly took the chance and won. It was, indeed, a golden moment which could not be ignored.
After the visit of President Erdogan to the country in 2011, the foreign policy and economic perspectives of Türkiye continued to evolve and moved on to a Türkiye Africa Partnership as is marked by a humanitarian, economic, and foreign policy compact. Somalia became one of the key countries, therefore, for Türkiye to build its case vis a vis the continent.
The relationship with Türkiye contributed to the peace and stability of Somalia, which slowly started to improve, helped in the creation of the current federal structures of the country, and opened doors for Türkiye in the neighboring countries, who were taken by surprise on how Somalia suddenly started to revive itself. The Türkiye element was not ignored by Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Uganda the countries that were benefitting most from the AMISOM/ATMIS project and others in Somalia.
Türkiye’s autonomous presence was a key element in the progress of its relationship with Somalia and this was beneficent for both parties, resulting not only in the largest foreign Turkish military base outside Turkey near Mogadishu, the many economic contracts signed between Somalia and Türkiye and especially those related to energy involving not only oil and gas exploration both offshore and onshore and but also others. The naval presence of Türkiye to protect the waters of Somalia’s vast maritime space is expected to contribute to the security of the shipping routes in the region as Somalia rebuilds its navy with the help of Türkiye’s navy.
The educational element of the relationship is bearing some fruit as many of the future cadre of the Somalia are being trained and educated in Turkish educational institutions. A growing pro-Turkish elite is currently felt in the country, which did not exist before. They are expected to contribute to the rebuilding of the Somali nation which has seen a disruption of its life systems through the involvement of malevolent forces in the country over the past few decades.
The presence of Türkiye in Somalia has not pleased some parties, but both Turkish and Somali people are fiercely independent people and would pursue what is in their best interest irrespective of what other parties may wish. Somalia is a country that is full of resources, which indeed, has been the main reason for the troubles it has undergone unknowingly. Today is not yesterday and Somalis know their real friends. Turkish people and Türkiye are counted as one of those friends of Somalia and the region.