Somali academician hails Türkiye as 'only brother' in Somali development

MOGADISHU, Somalia / ISTANBUL

Somali academician Yahye Aamir said Türkiye has stood by Somalia like no other nation, describing Ankara as the country’s “only brother” for investing and supporting development despite risks.

Aamir spoke with Anadolu about Somali-Turkish relations, the challenges facing his country, and developments in Africa.

Aamir, who has served as a presidential adviser and a Central Bank board member as well as worked for the World Bank and several universities, said Somalia has many enemies but few friends.

“The people of Somalia, whenever there is an external problem, they unite, but when you look internally, there are some conflicts based on some internal and external influences,” he said.

He added that, while the capital of Mogadishu is now safe, "some problems" fueled by the government and "some countries" remain. Referring to Somalia's strained relations with its neighbors and the Arab League, he said: “They (the United Arab Emirates) are spoiling the situation (in Somalia). Ethiopians are spoiling the situation. They want to divide the country into pieces.”

Türkiye invested in Somalia despite risks

Aamir emphasized Türkiye’s unique role in Somalia, saying: “Frankly speaking, we were, what's called in Somalia, ‘Madi.’ When you have a father and mother, they have only one child. That we call him Madi.”

“We were Madi before Türkiye. When Türkiye came, now we feel that we have at least one brother who thinks about the way we think, who wants to see Somalia develop, who wants to see Somalia in peace.”

He added that many countries claim to want Somalia to prosper, but in reality, they “want Somalia to go down.”

But Türkiye is the only country that has declared that, despite the risks, it will invest in Somalia. With all of this risk, it prepared the country's forces, he said.

He noted that while politicians change and foreign powers shift their policies in the country, “their (Türkiye) policy is constant. They always want to help the Somali people.”

For that reason, disregard the oppositionists and supporters, he said, using the example of going to the supermarket and asking regular people in town about Türkiye. “They say, ‘they are the only brother we have.’ ‘The only country to have decided to share with us the risk and situation that we are in nowadays.'"

Türkiye a shareholder in Somalia’s development

Aamir contrasted Türkiye’s approach with that of other nations, saying that while some countries claim to be donors, their investments and aid always come with conditions. Whereas Ankara has made everything it has given part of Somalia’s development. “They are shareholders in the development.”

He recalled that two decades ago, an Englishman told him, “You are the victims of your resources.”

“Now I feel that this country is a victim of its resources. There are rare resources in this country,” but he said some people do not want Somalis to use them.

“They don't want that. If we get all that, we will be developed. We will become, maybe, one of the notable countries in the whole of Africa. So they want to keep us in that situation," he said, praising Türkiye for always pursuing a win-win policy.

Colonialism is root cause of problems worldwide

Aamir argued that many global issues arise from colonialism, adding that the UK divided Somalia into five parts, as it did with India, Pakistan, Palestine, Yemen, and Sudan.

He pointed out that many of today's border issues stem from colonial policies. “We are still not a fully independent nation,” Amir said, expressing hope that the new generation will see the world, understand the realities, return, and bring about change.

He emphasized the importance of African nations diagnosing and solving their own problems, saying: “They have to unite, and they have to manage their own resources. Their own forces.”

Aamir urged African leaders to prioritize their people over foreign interests.