The Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies published on 7 May 2026 an analysis titled "The New Scramble: Turkey, Somalia and the Battle for the Red Sea" by Matthew Chandler de Waal.
Turkey has become Somalia's foremost ally. Camp TURKSOM, Ankara's largest overseas military base, has trained thousands of Somali special forces since 2017. More recently, Turkey became engaged in a major project to develop Somalia's deepwater oil reserves.
Turkey is now looking to build a base in the Gulf of Aden at Laas Qoray, a port city that is contested by Somalia and the breakaway government of Somaliland. A base in Laas Qoray would put Turkey in position to join a host of other nations with military bases at the south end of the Red Sea.
