People gathered in the Somalian city of Baidoa on Tuesday for a rally in support of Türkiye and its ties with Somalia, footage shared by a government official showed.
Participants, many of them women, waved Somali and Turkish flags from the stands and unfurled a large Turkish flag.
“A demonstration supporting the Turkish government’s role in standing with Somalia is underway in Baidoa. Thank you, Türkiye,” Nasra Bashir Ali, Deputy Director of Communications and Public Relations at the Somali Prime Minister’s Office, wrote on Facebook.
The rallies came after Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications held a panel in Mogadishu on September 10 examining the countries’ deep-rooted ties, strategic partnership and opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation.
On Friday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud praised Türkiye’s support during a ceremony for Gorgor troops returning from training in Türkiye.
“We must not disappoint the Turkish people and the Turkish state, who have stood by us and supported us,” Mohamud said.
“The Turks asked us for no reward, service or anything in return. They trained and equipped us and asked only that we succeed and serve our country.”
Türkiye has strengthened its presence in Somalia since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Mogadishu in 2011, providing humanitarian and development assistance and investing in infrastructure and training Somali security forces.
Increasing cooperation
The two countries have also expanded cooperation in energy exploration, fisheries and maritime security since then.
In 2024, Türkiye and Somalia signed a defence and economic cooperation agreement to enhance bilateral relations and the stability of the region.
The agreement is a 10-year pact that will significantly bolster the Somalia government’s endeavours to safeguard its sovereignty, Mogadishu said.
In April 2025, the two countries expanded their energy partnership by signing an onshore hydrocarbon exploration and production agreement.
The deal allows Turkish Petroleum (TPAO) to begin oil and gas exploration across three land blocks covering approximately 16,000 square kilometres in Somalia.
Last year, Türkiye’s industrial group OYAK and Somalia’s Fisheries and Blue Economy Ministry signed a strategic cooperation and services agreement to cooperate in the fisheries sector.
Ankara also started construction of a space port in Somalia this year.
The port is being built on land allocated to Türkiye in Somalia under a cooperation agreement signed between the two countries.
Ankara’s largest embassy in Africa is in Mogadishu and it has also built its largest overseas military facility there to train the Somali national army.
