(Bloomberg) — Turkey has held talks with Somalia about setting up a test site for missiles and space rockets from the Horn of Africa country, according to insiders.
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Ankara’s ballistic missile program requires long-range testing, and Somalia’s location on the eastern tip of mainland Africa is ideal for firing into the Indian Ocean, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The country is close to the equator, making it a suitable location for a spaceport, they said. Testing near the equator could also help increase the range and efficiency of space rockets.
Turkey has long sought to join a space race traditionally dominated by world powers, and has been planning for several years to launch a rocket. It could potentially be launched from Somalia, the people said. Turkish officials are confident that Somalia will agree to the request, the people said. The Turkish Defense Ministry declined to comment.
Hussein Sheikh-Ali, the national security adviser to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, declined to comment when reached by telephone on Tuesday. The chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee on defense, Abdi Ahmed Koshin, said he was not aware of such an agreement with Turkey.
Turkey has been working to increase the range of its domestically built Tayfun missiles to about 560 kilometers (350 miles), President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in 2022. A launch site in Somalia would eliminate the risk of debris falling into residential areas and other countries, the sources said.
Turkey is one of the few foreign powers strengthening ties with Somalia in an effort to rebuild after years of clan warfare. In the past decade, Turkey has expanded its influence through defense cooperation and infrastructure projects, and has plans for hydrocarbon exploration. It has been involved in mediating between the government in Mogadishu, the capital, and leaders in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region.
Along with the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, Turkey is among the middle powers gaining ground in Africa as Chinese investment declines and the US plays catch-up.
While Russia has become a symbol of anti-Western sentiment in some places, the Wagner Group’s mercenaries are not as sought after as Turkey’s TB2 Baykar drones, which have been purchased by 11 African countries.
Increasing foothold
Turkey has been expanding its presence in the Horn of Africa since Erdogan visited the country in 2011, when he agreed to provide financial aid to revive basic services such as education and health care, and security.
A defense industry cooperation agreement signed between Turkey and Somalia in 2015 provides for “joint research, development and production projects in the field of military equipment in the territories of the parties.” The two countries agreed in July to further strengthen their defense and economic cooperation in the coming decade.
In 2017, Turkey opened its largest overseas military base in Mogadishu, and hundreds of the country’s troops are training Somali soldiers as part of Somalia’s plan to improve security following an insurgency by the Islamist group al-Shabaab.
Turkey, which wants to emulate its relationship with Mogadishu in other African countries, is expected to send an exploration vessel to search for oil and gas off the coast of Somalia, a move the Turkish government has offered.
On the diplomatic front, Ankara recently attempted to mediate a dispute between Somalia and neighboring Ethiopia over a deal that Addis Ababa struck to build a port in Somaliland. Somalia considers the semi-autonomous region part of its territory.
–With assistance from Mohamed Sheikh Nor and Omar Mohammed.
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