Somalia and Türkiye have agreed to strengthen cooperation on disaster preparedness, early warning systems and technical training following talks between senior officials in Antalya.
Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA) Chairman Mohamud Moalim Abdulle met Turkish counterpart, Ali Hamza Pehlivan, at AFAD headquarters during the COP31 conference.
The discussions focused on exchanging technical expertise, improving early warning systems, strengthening disaster preparedness and building the institutional capacity of Somalia’s disaster management agency.
Both sides agreed to establish a joint technical team to develop a formal cooperation framework, coordinate training programmes and facilitate knowledge-sharing on disaster management.
He described the proposed partnership as an important step toward strengthening Somalia’s capacity to prepare for and respond to natural disasters.
Türkiye’s engagement in Somalia expanded after the 2011 drought, when it delivered emergency food and medical aid and helped establish field hospitals in Mogadishu.
Since then, Turkish assistance has supported projects in health, education, agriculture, infrastructure and institutional capacity-building, according to Türkiye’s development agency and foreign ministry.
Türkiye has also supported disaster response training, including a 2024 programme that provided essential first-aid training to about 200 SoDMA staff members.
Moalim thanked Türkiye’s government and people for their continued support, particularly during the 2011 drought, and welcomed the new disaster management partnership.
By Abdirisak Mohamud Turyare
