MOGADISHU (Kaab TV) – Strong exchanges were reported between Somalia’s opposition leadership and the Turkish Ambassador to Mogadishu, Alper Aktaş, who was today issued a warning urging Ankara to refrain from involvement in Somalia’s internal political affairs and domestic disputes.
Sources close to the senior opposition leadership, united under the Future Council of Somalia, told Kaab TV that a meeting held today in Mogadishu between the Turkish envoy and opposition leaders focused on growing public concerns over Turkey’s role in Somalia’s internal matters.
“Turkey was told to stay out of Somalia’s internal affairs and to stop what we consider unlawful oil agreements signed with the administration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud,” said a source who attended the meeting.
The discussions also emphasized that agreements on the country’s natural resources must follow a legal and constitutional framework, and must include all federal member states. The opposition argued that the federal government alone should not enter such agreements without national consensus.
Opposition leaders further told the Turkish ambassador that agreements signed by Ankara with President Hassan Sheikh would be considered “null and void” unless reviewed by the Federal Parliament of Somalia, and until a fully legitimate government framework is in place.
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term is set to expire on 15 May 2026, amid growing questions over recent expedited agreements his administration has signed with several countries, with Turkey at the forefront. Additionally, the four-year term of Somalia’s federal parliament expired on 14 April.
The opposition says the agreements between Mogadishu and Ankara cover oil exploration, fisheries, and military cooperation with no accountability or parliament oversight causing concerns for Somalis.
Opposition leaders also raised concerns during the meeting about the country’s political tensions and the use of weapons and Turkish-trained forces, expressing serious reservations over their deployment.
A source who spoke to Kaab TV said Ambassador Alper Aktaş expressed “regret over his country’s name being drawn into Somalia’s internal political disputes”, and reaffirmed that Ankara is ready to avoid interference in Somalia’s domestic affairs.
The meeting comes a month after Turkey-trained Gorgor forces and Turkish-supplied drones, deployed in operations against Al-Shabaab, were used by the federal government in an offensive in the city of Baidoa in the South West State of Somalia.