Turkey's ambassador raise the ire of Somali opposition

Somalian opposition accused Turkey of meddling in the country’s domestic politics in favor of the country’s incumbent president ahead of the critical presidential elections in February. 

The presidential election that was initially scheduled for December was postponed to February due to a controversy surrounding the composition of the country’s electoral board. 

President Farmajo is accused of appointing his men to the board, which is supposed to be independent, the opposition took to the streets in a nationwide protest on Dec. 15.

Turkey’s ambassador to Somalia welcomed the board members at the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu. Turkish Ambassador Ahmet Yilmaz tweeted his picture with them, saying that they had informed him about the preparations for the election. The tweet further fueled the anger of the opposition. 

There are also claims that a police unit trained by Turkey used live ammunition to disperse the demonstrators in the Dec. 15 protests. Yet observers believe it’s not Turkey but the president himself who is responsible for the actions of this police unit, as he is accused of politicizing the security forces.

Ankara’s negligence or failure to remain an impartial actor in Somalia's domestic politics have been marring its efforts for the past few years. Turkish officials have been ignoring the criticism and downplaying it

The presidential election that was initially scheduled for December was postponed to February due to a controversy surrounding the composition of the country’s electoral board. Accusing Farmajo of appointing his men to the board.