Turkey’s Evolving Security Policy in Somalia

Abstract

This chapter critically explores the modalities and strategies used by Turkey to reconstruct Somalia’s fledging security sector. The Turkey–Somalia partnership developed amidst Somalia’s devastating famine in 2011. The partnership, first forged under the banner of state humanitarian diplomacy, segued into a comprehensive nation-building project involving infrastructure rehabilitation and development projects. However, Turkey soon realised the limits of its humanitarian diplomacy, recognising that supporting Somalia’s security sector was a prerequisite for addressing the fragile nation’s social and political dimensions. Since then, Turkey has embarked on a holistic security sector assistance initiative to transform Somalia’s security apparatus, including training and equipping Somalia’s police and military forces in Somalia and Turkey. Turkey’s unique support for the reconstruction of the Somali state has been widely held up as an example of successful state-building with the development of comprehensive capacity and trust in public institutions, particularly security.

Keywords: Somalia, Turkey, Security Sector Reform, Africa, Security, Al-Shabaab, Insurgency