Somalia-Turkey pact adds to growing regional tensions

Significance This comes shortly after Ethiopia and Somaliland in January signed a deal offering Ethiopia a naval base in Somaliland in exchange for Ethiopia’s recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign country, a move Somalia has strenuously rejected. Impacts Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will earn a short-term political boost as Somali elites unify against Ethiopia. Turkey will use the deal to expand its ties with different Somali actors and entrench its presence and influence in the Red Sea. Somalia-Ethiopia tensions may negatively affect the shared fight against salafi-jihadist group al-Shabaab.