Turkey Begins Offshore Drilling in Somali Waters

Government-critical narrative

Turkey’s drilling push in Somalia is less about energy and more about planting a strategic flag in a geopolitical rivalry with Israel. Deploying F-16s alongside a drillship signals Ankara is militarizing an economic partnership to project influence and assert control across the Horn of Africa. That kind of power play raises serious escalation risks and adds further strain to an already volatile and highly fragile region.