With preparations underway to start drilling for oil and gas in Somalia, Ankara stands poised to expand its strategic footprint in the Horn of Africa, raising the risk of intensifying rivalries among regional and Gulf powers, which each have stakes in the Horn.

Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar earlier this month announced that Turkey will begin exploratory drilling operations in three offshore areas under Somalia's jurisdiction as well as on land in 2026 to assess their financial feasibility. The move follows months of seismic surveys by the TPAO, the national energy company, and marks the most concrete step yet in Turkey’s bid to secure a foothold in Somalia’s untapped hydrocarbon sector.

“We completed our seismic operations this year, and 2026 will most likely be our drilling year in Somalia’s offshore zone,” Bayraktar told journalists at a Dec. 3 press conference. 

Officials and experts believe that even modest production could reshape Somalia’s fragile economy while anchoring Turkey more deeply in the political, security and commercial landscape of the Horn.