Jubaland Protests; Put Turkey’s Longstanding Somalia Partnership Under New Political Strain

Kismaayo (WDN) — Streets in Kismaayo and Doolow have become the latest stage for Somalia’s deepening political confrontation, as protesters rallied against the Federal Government and expressed anger toward Turkey, a country that has spent more than a decade building one of Somalia’s closest and most consequential foreign partnerships.

Demonstrations were held in Kismaayo on Friday in an event reportedly organized with the involvement of the Jubaland administration. Similar protests were also reported in Doolow and Garbahaarey, following the attack two nights earlier on the residence of General Mahad Abdirahman “Shub.”

The demonstrations reflected growing anger over the Doolow incident, which has become politically charged amid competing claims about who was responsible. The Federal Government has denied that the attack was carried out by an aerial strike. However, protesters in Jubaland reportedly expressed the belief that Turkey was involved, a view that appears to have been reinforced by statements from political figures aligned with Jubaland.

The anger directed at Turkey is particularly striking because Ankara has developed an unusually deep relationship with Somalia since opening its major diplomatic mission in Mogadishu in 2011. Over the years, Turkey has become a major partner in Somalia’s humanitarian assistance, infrastructure development, education, health services and security sector. Turkish institutions have built schools and hospitals, provided humanitarian assistance and trained Somali security personnel.