By Abdullahi A. Nor

In a deal shrouded in secrecy and stained by suspicion, the Federal Government of Somalia has handed sweeping oil exploration and production rights to the Republic of Türkiye, raising red flags over corruption, national sovereignty, environmental degradation, and long-term economic injustice.

The agreement — hailed by officials as a “strategic milestone” — was rammed through a rubber-stamp parliament without lawmakers even seeing the text. That’s right: Somalia’s legislature, infamous for being on the payroll of the President’s Office, approved an international oil deal blindfolded — a move that has shocked legal experts and governance watchdogs globally.

But this isn’t just a Somali tragedy — it’s part of a global pattern in which corrupt governments sign away their countries’ wealth to foreign powers under exploitative terms. Somalia, a fragile state with no real parliamentary checks, no press freedom protections, and no judicial independence, is just the latest victim.

A deal for the ages but not for Somalis

Under the terms of the Somalia–Türkiye agreement:

• Türkiye gets exclusive control of exploration and production in Somali oil blocks.
• It is exempt from all upfront payments — no signature bonuses, no royalties beyond a meager 5%, no surface or admin fees.
• It can export 100% of its share, keeping revenues offshore.
• It can recover 90% of annual revenues first, delaying Somalia’s earnings.
• Legal disputes go to arbitration in Istanbul, not Somali courts.
• Türkiye is not required to maintain a local office until production begins — effectively erasing early job creation or skills transfer.

This is not a partnership. Its plunder disguised as investment.

The ghost of corrupt oil deals past

The Somalia–Türkiye pact echoes past tragedies across the Global South:

• Nigeria, where multinationals like Shell and Eni were embroiled in the $1.1 billion OPL 245 bribery scandal, depriving the Nigerian people of crucial oil revenue while enriching elites.
• Equatorial Guinea, where oil wealth fattened the presidential family while over 70% of citizens live in poverty — their natural wealth funneled into private jets and Parisian penthouses.
• Sudan (pre-partition), where Chinese and Malaysian firms exploited oil fields amid war and human rights abuses, exacerbating environmental damage and deepening authoritarian rule.

Now, Somalia joins this list — with no oversight, no environmental assessment, and no accountability mechanisms in place.

Environmental risk: a ticking time bomb

In a country already battered by climate change and ecological fragility, the environmental implications of the oil deal are catastrophic. Somalia lacks the legal infrastructure, regulatory institutions, and emergency response capabilities to handle spills, gas flaring, or offshore blowouts — especially in the sensitive Indian Ocean basin.

The Türkiye agreement makes no mention of environmental safeguards, compensation protocols, or ecological protections. It hands over Somalia’s coast and interior to a foreign entity without a single public hearing or scientific assessment. Should disaster strike, the Somali people — already vulnerable and displaced by drought and conflict — will bear the brunt.

A Culture of corruption, cemented in oil

This deal must also be understood in the context of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s administration, which is increasingly seen as corrupt and autocratic. During his tenure:

• Vast public lands in Mogadishu were sold off behind closed doors, triggering the displacement of over 500,000 Somalis.
• The national treasury was repeatedly bypassed in key transactions, undermining fiscal transparency.
• Parliament became a theater of obedience, approving laws and agreements without reading them.

Given this track record, many believe undisclosed payments were exchanged in the oil deal, as has been the norm in Somalia’s informal corridors of power. “It’s not just negligence,” said one former finance official. “It’s theft wrapped in diplomacy.”

A call to international watchdogs: Wake up

We urge global anti-corruption organizations, environmental defenders, and international legal watchdogs — including:

• Transparency International
• Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI)
• Human Rights Watch
• Global Witness
• The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI)

…to investigate the legality, ethics, and financial flows behind the Somalia–Türkiye oil agreement.

If Somalia is a member of the EITI, this deal should trigger automatic red flags and reviews. If not, the case should be considered as a textbook example of how natural resources can be weaponized against a population by their own leaders.

Way forward: the people deserve better

The Somali people are not anti-development. They are not anti-partnership. But they demand — and deserve — transparency, equity, and respect for national sovereignty.

Instead, they got an agreement signed in secret, enforced without scrutiny, and designed to benefit everyone except the people whose land, sea, and future are at stake.

If this deal stands, it will become a stain on Somalia’s modern history. But if challenged, it could spark a new era of accountability — one where leaders serve their people, not themselves.

Abdullahi A. Nor
Email: abdulahinor231@gmail.com
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