The Turkish parliament has approved a Presidential motion for a two-year military deployment in Somalia, aiming to bolster security against terrorism and other threats under the Turkiye-Somalia defence cooperation agreement.
Signed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the motion states that Turkiye has provided training, assistance, and advisory support in Somalia for over a decade to ensure security and stability. This effort includes restructuring Somalia’s defence and security forces to combat terrorism effectively.
Since 2009, the Turkish military has supported international efforts to combat piracy, armed robbery, and maritime terrorism in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, and adjacent regions, excluding Somali territorial waters. This support is grounded in the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation and a UN Security Council resolution from December 16, 2008.
The mandate for this mission was last extended by the Turkish parliament on January 17 for an additional year. The recent motion highlights that Turkiye will command Combined Task Force-151 for the seventh time starting in July.
Despite possessing adequate personnel and resources, Somalia’s defence and security forces have not yet achieved the desired level of capability due to economic challenges. The Somali government aims to control maritime areas and integrate resources into its economy to enhance the capacity of its security forces and other state institutions.
This goal aligns with the Somali Security Sector Development Plan, adopted at the Somalia Security Conference co-hosted by Turkiye in New York on December 12, 2023. The plan aims for Somalia to assume full responsibility for its security in the near future.