CIAO DATE: 10/2012
October 2012
Assessing Turkey’s Role in Somalia, the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines Turkey’s role in helping stabilise Somalia and its new government. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s courageous visit to Mogadishu in August 2011 at the height of the famine and his decision to open an embassy gave fresh impetus to efforts to establish lasting peace in the country. But Turkey should tread with caution. Over twenty years, many states and entities have tried to bring relief and secure peace in Somalia, often leaving behind a situation messier than that which they found. Ankara must understand that it cannot solve the country’s many challenges alone. “Trying to go solo could backfire, hamper ongoing efforts and lose the immense good-will Turkey has accumulated”, says Abdirashid Hashi, Crisis Group’s Somalia Analyst. “It needs to secure the support and cooperation of both the Somali people and the international community”.
Resource link: Assessing Turkey's Role in Somalia [PDF] - 3.0M