Turkey seeks to set up space rocket launchpad in Somalia
Turkey’s endeavors in Somalia come amid growing tensions in the already volatile Horn of Africa, where a deal between Ethiopia and Somaliland raised concerns of foreign interference.
Turkey is reportedly in talks with Somalia to establish a site to test-fire missiles and space rockets, a Tuesday report revealed, in the latest sign of Ankara’s deepening role in the Horn of Africa country.
The Bloomberg report cited people familiar with the matter as saying that Ankara and Mogadishu have held discussions about setting up a site for testing missiles and launching space rockets. The sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, added that Turkish officials are optimistic that Somalia will agree to this project.
Turkey's interest in using Somalia as a site for its ballistic missile and space program stems from Somalia’s location on the eastern tip of mainland Africa and its proximity to the equator, making it a suitable location for a spaceport to test launch missiles and rockets toward the Indian Ocean, the sources explained.
The Turkish Defense Ministry and Hussein Sheikh-Ali, national security adviser to Somalia’s president, declined to comment on the report when contacted by Bloomberg.
For his part, the chairman of the Somali parliamentary subcommittee on defense, Abdi Ahmed Koshin, told Bloomberg he was unaware of any discussions regarding such a plan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced in 2021 an ambitious 10-year plan for his country’s space program. Reports at the time suggested that the program would require building a rocket launch site in Somalia.
A Turkish source familiar with the government’s plan told the Middle East Eye in February 2021 that Turkey plans to build a spaceport in Somalia as part of a $1 billion plan to achieve a soft moon landing by 2028. The building and maintenance of such a port would cost around $350 million.
Turkey’s role in Somalia
The Tuesday report underlines Turkey’s approach to cementing its presence in Somalia.
Relations between Turkey and Somalia have been witnessing steady growth since Erdogan first visited the country in 2011 when he was prime minister.
Mogadishu hosts Turkey’s largest overseas military base. The $50 million base was established in 2017 and has a capacity to train more than 10,000 soldiers.
The two countries have also signed several agreements in the past months, including a defense and security cooperation agreement in February and an offshore energy cooperation accord in March.
Most recently, in July, the Turkish parliament approved a presidential motion to allow the Turkish armed forces to send naval forces to Somalia for two years as part of the joint defense agreement.
Turkey’s growing role in Somalia comes amid heightened tensions in the region after Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland signed a controversial deal in January, giving landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea via the port of Berbera in Somaliland. In exchange, Addis Ababa would recognize the breakaway region as an independent state.
The deal sparked widespread condemnation and raised concerns about growing foreign interference in the region.
Somaliland, a small territory on the coast of the Gulf of Aden, declared its independence in 1991 but is still recognized internationally as part of Somalia.
Egypt is one of several countries to express support for Somalia’s sovereignty. Late last month, Egypt sent two military aircraft carrying weapons and ammunition to Mogadishu following the signing of a defense pact and a military cooperation protocol during Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s visit to Cairo Aug. 14.
