The federal government of Somalia was on August 21 forced into rapid damage limitation after a high-ranking parliamentary official publicly acknowledged the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC, or TRNC), threatening to embroil Mogadishu in a delicate geopolitical balancing act.

In a diplomatic communique, the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation of Somalia (@MOFASomalia) emphatically stated that its foreign policy on Cyprus remained unchanged, reaffirming its full commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.

The clarification was triggered by an X post shared by Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur (@Amohamednur), speaker of the House of the People. Nur had publicly extended his gratitude to Ziya Ozturkler, speaker of the assembly of the TRNC, following a congratulatory phone call regarding Nur's election.

Later on, he deleted the post.

Correction

The exchange quickly sparked controversy across international and diplomatic channels. Northern Cyprus, a breakaway region located in the northern third of the island, is recognised solely by Ankara while the rest of the international community adheres to UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984), which declare the breakaway entity legally invalid.

In its official response, Somalia’s foreign ministry explicitly distanced the government from the speaker’s remarks.

“The referenced personal communication post does not reflect, and shall not be interpreted as, any change in the foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” the ministry stated, emphasising that no official decision had been taken to grant recognition to any separate entity in northern Cyprus.

‘Elected’ on August 10

On August 10, Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, a Turkish-educated former defence, education and ports minister, was elected as speaker of Somalia’s House of the People.

Somali opposition groups decried his parliamentary election as illegitimate, arguing that parliament's official four-year term expired in April 2026, making the election an unconstitutional manoeuvre to consolidate power ahead of national elections.

The House of the People is the lower house of the country’s legislature, located in the capital Mogadishu’s heavily fortified presidential complex that provides security amid the continuing decades-long domestic wars that have beset Somalia.

The election places Nur in the second most powerful constitutional office in Somalia, Turkey’s government-run news service Anadolu Agency reported.

Somalia's president, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, congratulated Nur and reassured the speaker of his and the executive branch's full support, according to the news agency.

Mulkiye

“Nur, an influential politician in the country for nearly a decade, studied international relations at Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences from 2012 to 2016, where he completed his bachelor's degree. He also worked at Somalia's embassy in the Turkish capital,” Anadolu noted.

The Ankara University Faculty of Political Science is also known as Mulkiye, which was founded in 1859 to bring through public servants for the Ottoman State in Istanbul. After the foundation of the Republic of Turkey, Mulkiye was moved to the new capital with its new name.

In reference to his CV, Nur is dubbed a " Turkish agent" by Mogadishu’s vocal political opposition.

Not the first time

During his tenure as defence minister, Nur signed landmark agreements granting Turkey a 10-year mandate over Somali maritime zones, defence fleet construction, offshore energy exploration and deployment of Bayraktar Akinci armed drones.

While he served as ports minister, he raised criticism for usurping the role of the country’s foreign minister after holding a photoshoot with Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In help of the US

Since 1993, Turkey has had troops in Somalia. The US has, meanwhile, been scaling back its assistance to the country thanks to Ankara’s expanding support. The Gulf states have also provided security cooperation, training and infrastructure investment.

In January, media reports revealed a Turkish F-16 jets deployment in Somalia. In February, media reports suggested that Turkey had also deployed battle tanks to the country. Last year, media reports suggested that Turkey had also deployed military helicopters in the country. A bilateral defence agreement signed in February 2024 mandated Ankara to create a naval force for Mogadishu.

In July, Turkey’s F-16 fighter jets carried out airstrikes against al-Shabab targets in southern Somalia.