Interesting out of Turkey.
What do we know so far and what is the justification for them putting these
bases in Somalia? Do you mind?
What we know so far is Kenya's president says they're working on increasing the
range for their domestically built typhoon missile.
Previously, they've tested it on the Black Sea with a range of 561
kilometers. But they need to test it in long range
ranges. And that's where Somalia comes in.
It sits at an ideal location off the shores of the Indian Ocean.
So that solves the range problem without increasing the risk of the debris
falling in residential areas. And this is also a two way deal outside
of the ballistic missiles. Turkey is a new player in this race to
space, and they're looking to fire some hybrid rockets to space.
Hence they want to build a spaceport in Somali.
Interesting. So is this part of a bigger
apprenticeship deal between Turkey and Somalia?
Is there going to be more deals that are going to come on the back of this, or
are we just starting with this initial step with the view that perhaps later on
they can build on that relationship? Absolutely, Jomana.
But they're building up on this relationship and they've just signed a
partnership to enhance economic and defense cooperation for the next decade.
But this partnership dates back to all the way in 2011 when Turkey's president
visited Somalia and we began seeing funding going into key sectors like
education, like health care, like security.
And it's important to note that if we zoom in on security, Turkey is playing a
mediator road between Somalia and Ethiopia over the tiff with Somaliland.
They've also built the biggest oversea base in Somalia, and they're helping
their troops fight al-Shabab and also rebuild their country.
But they also have their eyes set on natural resources.
They'll be dispatching a hydrocarbon ship to search for oil and gas.
And they're also looking at mining operations in other parts of Africa,
like Niger.