Somalia is navigating one of the most precarious political crossroads in its history, overshadowed by the expiration of the presidential mandate on May 15th and heated debates over controversial constitutional changes. As chronic challenges such as territorial integrity, the friction between federal states, and the persistent threat of al-Shabaab remain unresolved, Dr. Abdillahi Hashi Abib, Member of Parliament for Awdal, offers a scathing critique of the Mogadishu administration’s leanings toward authoritarianism and the geopolitical tremors shaking the region. Highlighting the local resistance in Awdal against the secessionist Somaliland regime’s attempts to gain recognition through ties with Israel, Dr. Abib argues that Somalia’s future can only be secured through unity based on justice and absolute sovereignty.
A particularly striking segment of this interview focuses on the alleged shift in Turkey-Somalia relations. Dr. Abib suggests that Turkey’s historically humanitarian and neutral stance has been replaced by a “one-sided” strategic and commercial interest, following recent agreements on energy, defense, and the blue economy. He raises serious concerns regarding the lack of transparency in energy deals, the absence of independent audits for Turkish-managed ports and airports, and the AKP government’s overt support for the current administration, which he warns could fuel internal instability. This conversation serves as a rare and jarring “accountability check” directed from the heart of Somali politics toward Ankara, challenging the prevailing narrative of the bilateral partnership.
Dr Abdillahi Hashi Abib, MP of Awdal
The Parliament of Somalia represents all cities and villages in Somalia, regardless of whether some groups claim to be separate republics or not. So I don’t believe in a secessionist regime. I’m a believer in Somalia, and Somalia starts from Zeyla all the way to Kismayo. We have agreed on 275 members of parliament, distributed among clans. From Awdal, my clan has nine members of parliament and two senators, who are elected in Mogadishu. So we are expecting Awdal to be liberated from the secessionist regime.
Awdal region opposes the recognition of Israel
This clan believes that the recognition is wrong, and they don’t recognize it, and they don’t want to be part of it. And the day it was announced, it was a demonstration inside the capital of Boroma, and everybody was raising the flag of Palestine. So the Somali people in whether you are in Hargeisa or everywhere else, they don’t recognize this flag. But the regime in Hargeisa is so desperate to get recognition, so they can sleep with anybody. So the other regionsdon’t recognize and they believe in the existence of Palestine and the policy of Somalia. And Somalia has always been there, so nothing changed.
Right now the youth have risen up and the government indiscriminately killed a lot of people who have stood up, and I think very soon, it’s just a matter of time. Others will become part of Somalia, just like what happened with the Khatumo state in the northeast. Now they are independent from Hargeisa regime, they are part of Somalia. So very soon our region will be like that and we will become independent from Hargeisa regime and we will directly elect our people in other and be representedwithin Somalia.
After 15th May, current president will no longer be legitimate
There will be a deadlock because the current president is the most corrupted dictator we have ever seen. He used the taxpayers’ money to buy members of parliament and the speaker to pass illegal constitutional changes, and that’s not going to work. The parliament’s mandate ended in April 18th and the president’s mandate is going to end on 15th May. After that, he will no longer be the legitimate president, yet he may still claim to be. And two things may happen, either he will sit down with the opposition group and formulate a new way forward for election for 2026, or there could be unrestin Mogadishu and that’s not good for everybody. And that could signal a return to conditions similar to the 1991 civil war.And so far, the signs are telling us that he is sticking with his plan and he doesn’t want to leave, and that will cause a civil war in Somalia.
Turkey was a neutral actor beforeobtaining economic privileges
When we had an election in 2012, theycame to Somalia and never interfered. They never sided with anybody. They were for Somalia. In the 2016 election, they did not interfere. They did not choose any one of them. They stick a neutral entity. And in 2022, the same thing, Turkey was fairly neutral.
But suddenly, after they signed the deal with Somalia, gas, and a lot of other economic and blue economy sign, the government of Turkey changed their attitude towards Somalia. What really concerned me was that, is that the AKP invited the president Hassan’s political party, and they signed a memorandum of understanding, which suggests they fully supported the president of Somalia. And that is really a new change.
And the reason behind it is that they want to keep this dictator for another 10 years, so that way the oil drilling and the economic what they call blue economy, and the satellite thing that they’re going to do, launch in place, and all other things would be in their hand.
After that, I don’t really care. But right now, that is the reason why they supported and the proof of that is how they did what they did in Baidoa. They overthrew the local government and extended control in Baidoa, using military elites trained by the Turkey. They used also military equipment from Turkey, and also they used drones to overthrow a government, and Turkey was fully aware that they didn’t do anything about it.
Turkey sided with a dictator
So the way we, members of parliament, are now criticizing Turkey is that, instead of staying neutral, they sided with a dictator, and they want to keep him in power because of their economic interests, not the interests of the Somali and the humanitarian. The gesture that they did for us has now diminished and they turned into a colonial mentality and as a colonial person.
Can you imagine the ambassador of Turkey in Somalia has the power to call the ministers to his office? It never happens in the history of any country, but the ambassador has so much power to call for a minister and then they come to his embassy instead of the other way around. And that is the power Turkey is exposing and they don’t care.
They signed a week ago the called Blue Economy and they will own all the seafood in Somalia and we can’t even see the agreement. And they know the government of Somalia term is ending in May 15th, but they still signing documents. So this is why we see Turkey, the change of new shift wearing is a very threatening to the stability of Somalia because if there is a civil war takes place on May 15th, Turkey would be part of that because they embolden this guy and believe in that Turkey will protect him to stay in power. And that’s why he’s not sitting in the opposition group.
AKP’s gain, both nations’ loss
I think some of the figures in the government of Turkey are benefited from this agreement with Somalia. I think it is not for the benefit of the Turkish people. I don’t know what kind of the agreement between the Turkish government and Somali government. I think just some figures from the government, maybe our president, are being benefited from these agreements.
This agreement is really, this agreement is not for Turkey. This agreement is for AKP, the Turkish political party, not anybody else, because if they were going to do it, it would if it is really for the Turkish people, it would be very transparent and the people would know what the agreement is all about. They’re hiding it. The day I publish an article about the agreement between Turkey and Somalia is one-sided and 90% of the benefit is going to Turkey. They summoned the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of State Minister of Foreign Affairs and they complained about me why I’m making public.
There’s another issue existing. There is a bank owned by the government of Turkey called Ziraat Bank. They’re supposed to be a corporate bank, but they are functioning as a commercial bank. And they take in cash, millions of dollars cash, out of Somalia every week with the government doing nothing about it. So I wrote about that and now they’re scared because Somalis are waking up and realizing that the Turkish are no longer the Turkish government we trust before.
Look at the port. If you look at the port of Mogadishu and the airport of Mogadishu, there are two Turkish companies managing the revenue, but they are not subject to independent audits. So if today, if they receive $100 million and they tell you that we only received $30 million, you would have to rely on their reporting. There is no audit, there is no transparency, there is no accountability.
And this is what’s happening in Somalia. So it is not benefiting the Turkish people, it’s benefiting the people in power with AKP party, nothing else. And the people who are appointed are part of his team and a couple of ministers are part of Somalia and also part of his team. So this is really, the Turkish have really taken over our national resources. And if you stand up, then you become a bad person.
They have been trolling me on the internet, paying money to Somali people and also Turkish people to go after me and troll me on the internet. I received so many threats, so many harassment, but I’m not giving up. I’m gonna stand up and if a new government comes to power next year, 2026 election, we will bring the whole agreement with Turkey back to the parliament. And if they are good, we will keep it. If they are not good, we will cancel them. That’s the way it’s gonna be and the Somali people have to know and the Turkish people have to know the truth about the agreement. So that’s what I’m fighting for every day.
How corruption is pushing Jubalandand others away
Without consulting with the state governance, he changed the constitution in his own way without consultation. And it’s very clear in the constitution how it has to be done. So now Jubaland, they don’t believe that. And actually, he was forced to be overthrown, but he was against it. So now they’re trying to do what they did in the southwest, they’re going to do it in Hirshabale. And they want to put puppets who will organize one man, one vote. But there is no way or possibility to have a one-man, one-vote.
What we are asking is that let us see if the election that cannot connect everybody. So therefore we have a new parliament that will elect a new government, but he doesn’t want it. He said he wouldn’t have one man, one vote. To be honest with you, if there was a fair and free election in Somalia, one man, one vote, he would not even get 10 votes. How much people hate him because he looted, he’s the most corrupted Somali leader Somali ever had.
And that’s the reason he wanna have the control of the software that called, collects the data for the vote so that he can manipulate and say that he get 90% vote like the Djibouti president who claims to be the winner of election in Djibouti a week ago. So he will play the same, so the Somalia will not be the same Somalia.
Accusations against Turkish forces
To be honest with you, the government has no muscle to fight against this group. And Turkish military training and all these things have not changed the dynamics. They are five kilometers away from Mogadishu. If they want to capture today Mogadishu, nobody can stop them. Even the African Union cannot stop it, because people are so much despair with the government, so much corrupted in the military and this model. And therefore, if they decide today to capture Mogadishu, which they will not do it because they know that when they capture Mogadishu, all the financial flight, everything will be cancelled, and that’s not for benefit for them. But if they want to do it, they can do it without any doubt.
But the Turkish training forces they have been doing for the last 10 years have not made an effect. Turkish government havespent a dime in fighting against this group. So the all interest is their national economic interest rather than military. Until justice comes to Somalia, you cannot defeat these people because there is no justice in Somalia. The only justice you can find is that the court is controlled by these groups. Because if somebody steals my property today, I cannot get justice in Somali court.
But if I go to them, so many people say they will get justice over there. So that’s why it’s a force to be dealt with, and Somali government is so corruptive and underpaying the military, and also defrauding their food and supplies. It’s very difficult to fight against them, but they are strategically not capturing Mogadishu, but if they want to decide to capture, it will not even take a day.
So Turkish forces’ aim is to guard the palace of the president? It means it’soffering election for him. Because that’s what they did in the southwest. They went to the southwest and that’s what they did. Instead of fighting with this group, they fought to overthrow a government and Turkish government was fully engaged until the end.
Injustice feeds al-Shabaab
To be honest with you, that’s the area I really specialize in. That’s the area I put my time and energy. So I really don’t know who’s supporting or take the support. But what I know is that the injustice that goes on in Somalia is what’s feeding them. When the government builds the land of people or somebody else brought to the government, builds his land, and no justice comes, the people have to find somewhere else to find justice. So this is the reason behind. So I really don’t know internationally who’s supporting them or not.
But what I know is that if there is a transparent government, accountablegovernment with justice and no corruption, everybody will have a good opportunity in Somalia. But when the leader of the country says that my children come first, or getting a job or projects or companies, then what are you telling the rest? So, and they take advantage of that strategically.
The declining influence of the UAE in Somalia
If you asked me this question three years ago, I would tell you the United Arab Emirates will have a lot of influence in Somalia. Today, they don’t have anymore. And the reason is that the federal government, which used to be pro-United Arab Emirates, is no longer have that relationship because Saudi Arabia’s separation with the United Arab Emirates is forcing the government of Somalia to cut ties with military ties and everything with United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates has been using Somalia as a tool to divide us, and that’s why they were supporting the separatists in this country, the separatists in Hargeisa. But also their influence in that region is diminished because the Iran war has changed everything. Right now, the United Arab Emirates is looking for financial support from the United States, so their money is not going to work here in Somalia the same way it will not work in Libya and also in Sudan and also in Yemen.
So therefore, their influence is diminished. But now there are other players now coming to the picture in Somali politics,and that would be Saudi Arabia, who have a great interest in the northern part of Somalia after the Israel’s recognizing the northern part of Somalia. And also Qatar, although Qatar and Saudi Arabia, their financial support is going to diminish because of the Iran war, but there is still interest.
So now the major player and the winner in this strategic place of Somalia is Turkey. Because otherwise, Turkey will be the major now, but because Qatar and Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates has been playing a role. Have a financial problems that they have never had before because of the Iran war.
Turkey is now on upper hand in Somalia
Egypt, they have a relationship with Somalia, but they don’t have money. The person who gives you money is the one who controls the thing. Turkish don’t give you money, but Turkish bring things into Somalia, and that’s the power that Hassan is trying to impose as saying that I have a Turkish support. And also, the current government has a flip-flop foreign policy. On one hand, they are supporting Egypt, on one hand, they are supporting Ethiopia in order to do things politically in Somalia. So that’s also causing more trouble, but Egypt has no financial incentive to impose their philosophy into Somalia because they are supported by Saudi Arabia financially, Egypt. So they can only, even if they bring military, as they are planning to bring it, somebody has to pay for them. So Turkey is now on upper hand in this situation. That’s why a lot of Somalia waking up to Turkey and realizing that they’ve taken advantage of Somalia.
Every Signature Will Be Re-Validated
I will always be very grateful for what Turkey did for Somalia from the humanitarian point of view. But I will evaluate every relationship I have with Turkey. I will start with the port, I will start with the airport, and I will start with the oil deal, and I will start also the fishing with the seafood agreement, and also the military agreement we have with them.
Because how do I know all these things? Because we don’t know yet. So what I will do is that I will ask all the documentation back. We will hire a lawyer who areexperts on this, and then their recommendation. If we use that recommendation to go to the parliament and make amendments to all these agreements, if Turkey wants to continue with the new amendments, they are welcome. If they don’t want it, then we will forward it because it is done in an illegal way.
So that would be if I become a leader in Somalia one day, or if I become the Speaker of the House, which I intend to apply to run for the next coming election, that would be the first action I will do. Not only Turkey, to every agreement Somalia signed with Saudi Arabia, with Abu Dhabi, with Qatar, with other countries like Turkey, Egypt, all of them have to be validated and it has to be Somalia first agreement, not the other way around.
I have nothing against Turkey, but Turkey has to come to the table for the interest of Somalia, not for the interest of the government of Turkey.