Turkey’s Somalia space base alarms world powers

[Deeq A.]

MOGADISHU, Somalia – An “unprecedented flurry of activity” detected by international intelligence satellites over the Somalian coastline has ignited global concern regarding Turkey’s burgeoning space program.

A report from the respected France-based intelligence platform Intelligence Online reveals that sophisticated spy satellites belonging to US firm Maxar, French group Airbus Defence and Space, and even Chinese group Changguang Satellite Technology have been intensely monitoring two very specific locations in Somalia.

The sheer “frequency of the images taken” strongly suggests a concerted effort to “keep track of what is happening on the ground.”

Intelligence Online’s analysis pinpoints one site on the Kismaayo coast as a likely logistics base. The second, situated southeast in the Jamaame dunes, is suspected to be the construction site of Turkey’s space base, a project President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in November.

While Somali authorities confirmed the endeavor weeks later, they notably “did not provide any detail about where or when the spaceport would be built.” Intelligence Online posits that these international observers “have now found that out for themselves.”

Jamaame dunes under surveillance

The intense and coordinated satellite surveillance focused on the Jamaame dunes strongly indicates this is the location of the alleged Turkish space base. This aligns with President Erdoğan’s public announcement, raising significant questions about the strategic implications of such a facility in the geopolitically sensitive Horn of Africa.

The concerted observation by multiple global powers underscores the depth of international concern and the urgent desire to ascertain Turkey’s activities’ precise nature and ultimate purpose in this remote region.

Beyond a satellite launch facility, Intelligence Online highlights that Turkey’s strategic objectives extend to developing its defense capabilities. Drawing from pre-existing information, Ankara had “indicated it wanted an autonomous space launch site near the equator.”

Given Somalia’s advantageous “opening towards the Indian Ocean,” the report identifies it as a “good location for such a base,” a strategic rationale echoed by Italy’s plans to reopen its former Kenyan base and Saudi Arabia’s interest in Oman’s Duqm facility.

Crucially, Turkey’s “ambitious defense industry is not just looking for a satellite launch station.” The report asserts that Ankara “is also searching for the right spot for a long-range missile testing center.”

Turkey’s existing “geographical configuration makes these tests complex – and visible to prying eyes – as they head either into the Mediterranean or the Black Sea.”

Somalia’s expansive and relatively isolated terrain would offer a considerably more favorable environment for conducting such sensitive tests, away from densely populated areas and potentially under less immediate international scrutiny during critical testing phases.