[OPINION] Turkish PM’s visit boosts morale in Somalia

It is rare that I don’t catch the world reports, especially the bedtime news bulletin. But for the past few weeks or longer, I have stopped watching the news: I gave up on it. I couldn’t bear to watch the images of thousands of Somali people, mostly children, dying of starvation and acute malnutrition with every passing hour. May Allah bless their souls.

No one can deny that the Somali government and al-Shabaab have done things they should be ashamed of and blamed for. Nonetheless, Somalia’s membership in the UN, OIC, NAM, AU and the Arab League could be taken to mean that the country has a number of close friends among the community of nations, but reality shows otherwise. I am convinced that we are in an epoch in which being a member of the above-mentioned organizations no longer means anything. The famine in Somalia didn’t come as a surprise, especially when you look at how war is linked to famine. Somalia has been at war with itself for over 20 years, and these international organizations could have stopped that war as they have done elsewhere, if they were sincere in their concern for Somalia. The country is also experiencing its worst humanitarian crisis in living memory, without any practical action being taken by the leaders of those “friendly countries” with the exception of few: and this brings me to the Turkish prime minister’s visit to Somalia.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is the first high profile leader to visit Somalia in 20 years, and he risked his life to arrive in Mogadishu, the most volatile and dangerous city in the world. He was the first leader to issue a call for aid for the crisis, and he held a donor conference in Istanbul at which he called on his people to donate. It is said that donations received via this campaign amounted to millions of dollars.

Apart from the humanitarian aspect of his trip, Erdoğan’s trip reminds us of the centuries-old relationship between Turkey and Somalia. In 1531 the Ottoman Empire supplied cannons and other military equipment to Somalia’s first national hero, İmam Ahmad ibn Ibrahim, known as İmam Ahmad Gurey (“the left-handed”), who was at war with Ethiopia. It is said that some of his military advisors were Turkish. Gurey succeeded in defeating the Ethiopian army and their Portuguese allies, and captured two thirds of Ethiopia.

Turkey also supported another Somalian national hero, Sayyid Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, in his war against colonial powers, from 1899 to 1920. Turkey built Taleex, a historical town that served as a headquarters for Hassan’s Dervish movement. Taleex was home to the movement’s largest military fort, with towers 60 feet high and walls 14 feet thick. The British air force bombed the fort in 1920, finally ending Hassan’s war. Margaret Castagno, a historian studying Somalia, wrote that in 1917, a man called Sheikh Ahmad Shirwa ibn Muhammad, who was Hassan’s envoy to Turkey, was arrested by the Italians and found to be carrying letters from Hassan to the Ottoman Empire, in which Hassan asked that he and his followers be placed under Turkish administration, and Somalia become part of the Ottoman Empire. Aside from military and political support, Ottoman architectural works can still be seen in Somalia, including the famous Berbera Mosque in the city of Berbera.

The Somali people will not forget Erdoğan’s words when he said in Istanbul: “There is a fire in Somalia and we must extinguish that fire. This is a test not only for Somalia but for humanity. I am sure that our people are keeping the suffering of the Somali people in mind. Turkey cannot remain a mere spectator to this spectacle of human misery”. Prosperity has many friends, but true friendship can only be demonstrated in hard times. Erdoğan’s historic visit to Somalia at this difficult time means more than words can convey. It boosted the morale of Somalian people both in Somalia and around the world.

Dr. Mohamed Abbas was the chairman of the Somali Community in Malaysia (2008-2010). Kismaayo91@hotmail.com