Turjumaad ayaa la diyaarinayaa

History often turns not when certainty arrives, but when leaders decide they can no longer afford to wait for it. That is what makes the arrival of the Cagri Bey drilling vessel in Somali waters on April 10 so significant.

This was not merely the movement of a vessel or the start of another technical operation. It was a strategic signal: that Türkiye and Somalia are prepared to pursue a shared vision grounded in courage, partnership and long-term ambition.

At the centre of this moment stand two leaders whose political resolve made it possible: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud of Somalia and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye.

For decades, Somalia’s offshore and onshore hydrocarbon potential has been widely recognised but never meaningfully pursued. For more than 70 years, Somalis have heard promises about the natural resources beneath their land and seas.