WAPMEN  Editorial
There are moments when truth arrives not with a bang, but with a clarification. And in Somalia’s long theatre of make-believe sovereignty, the latest clarification—delivered calmly, confidently, and without apology by Türkiye’s defence establishment—may be the most honest statement made about Somalia in years.
Let us dispense with the niceties. When Türkiye publicly “clarifies” that it exercises sovereign control over Somalia’s airspace, it is not explaining a misunderstanding. It is reading out the balance sheet of occupation.
This is not a partnership. This is not assistance. This is not “capacity-building.”
This is a landlord reminding the tenant who owns the roof.
Somalis have been told—endlessly—that sovereignty is intact because the flag still flutters over Villa Somalia, because a president gives speeches, because a national anthem is played at donor conferences. But sovereignty, dear reader, is not measured by flagpoles. It is measured by who controls borders, currency, ports, and airspace. Lose those, and what remains is ceremonial governance—a republic by invitation.
When a foreign defence minister—Yaşar Güler—can speak more authoritatively about Somali skies than Somalia’s own institutions, the charade collapses. The air above Mogadishu is not Somali airspace administered with technical support; it is delegated sovereignty. Somalia does not own its sky—it has been subcontracted.
And yet, the political class in Mogadishu will nod solemnly and call this “strategic cooperation.” Ministers will smile for photos. Spokesmen will warn citizens not to “misinterpret” the statement.

Misinterpret what, exactly? That another country decides who flies, who lands, who surveils, who secures—and who is denied?
In international law, control of airspace is the very definition of statehood. In Somali reality, it has become a consultancy service.
The tragedy is not that Türkiye is honest about its power. Powers always are. The tragedy is that Somali leaders are silent about their surrender. They have confused survival with sovereignty, protection with permission, and assistance with abdication. They have turned the Somali state into a managed project—administered, audited, and occasionally “clarified” by others.
If this were a movie, the title would not be The Federal Republic of Somalia.
It would be Somalia: Managed Airspace, Limited Ground Access.
So yes—this clarification tells us everything we need to know. Not because it was shocking, but because it was routine. Occupation no longer arrives with tanks. It arrives with memoranda, training missions, and polite press briefings.
The sky above Somalia has spoken.
It does not answer Mogadishu.

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WAPMEN
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