Somalia–Turkey relations

Somalia's president on July 6 called for assistance from Türkiye to combat the effects of severe drought that is threatening the Horn of Africa.

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made the comments during his first visit to Türkiye since returning to office following an election in May. The two countries have forged close ties over the past decade.

Turkey has finished its first military base in Somalia and will help train the country's army to fight the deadly al-Shabaab terror group, a senior Turkish source told Anadolu Agency on Oct. 1.

A Turkish military attache speaking on condition of anonymity said the U.N.-backed base will be operational by the start of 2017.

Just two days before President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan arrived in Somalia on June 3, the al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist organization al-Shabaab attacked a hotel in Mogadishu, the capital of the country, killing at least 15 people. Most strikingly the Ambassador Hotel is where Erdoğan and his delegation had stayed in their previous visit to Somalia.

Istanbul is set to host a global meeting focused on humanitarian aid to Somalia, which is scene to persistently high and alarming levels of food insecurity and malnutrition, with an estimated 4.7 million people - nearly 40 per cent of the Somali population - in need of humanitarian assistance.