People gathered in the Somalian city of Baidoa on Tuesday for a rally in support of Türkiye and its ties with Somalia, footage shared by a government official showed.
Participants, many of them women, waved Somali and Turkish flags from the stands and unfurled a large Turkish flag.
“A demonstration supporting the Turkish government’s role in standing with Somalia is underway in Baidoa. Thank you, Türkiye,” Nasra Bashir Ali, Deputy Director of Communications and Public Relations at the Somali Prime Minister’s Office, wrote on Facebook.
The rallies came after Türkiye’s Directorate of Communications held a panel in Mogadishu on September 10 examining the countries’ deep-rooted ties, strategic partnership and opportunities to expand bilateral cooperation.
On Friday, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud praised Türkiye’s support during a ceremony for Gorgor troops returning from training in Türkiye.
“We must not disappoint the Turkish people and the Turkish state, who have stood by us and supported us,” Mohamud said.
“The Turks asked us for no reward, service or anything in return. They trained and equipped us and asked only that we succeed and serve our country.”
Türkiye has strengthened its presence in Somalia since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Mogadishu in 2011, providing humanitarian and development assistance, investing in infrastructure and training Somali security forces.
The two countries have also expanded cooperation in energy exploration, fisheries and maritime security since then.
