Turkey is building a space and long-range missile testing facility in central Somalia, according to a report published Wednesday in the French newspaper Le Monde.
The report said the project, officially announced in December 2025 as a technological partnership between Somalia and Turkey, will include a satellite launch site and a long-range missile test site.
According to the newspaper, the facility is the latest phase of a nearly decade-long plan to make Somalia a key base for Turkey’s strategic operations.
Le Monde also said the project is the result of 15 years of political, military and economic investment led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Turkey plans to use the facility to increase the power and range of Turkey’s long-range missile program.
The report added that construction work on the base began in mid-October 2025 on the outskirts of Warsheekh district, about 70 kilometers north of the Somali capital Mogadishu.
Somali and Turkish officials have yet to officially comment on the details of the claims in the Le Monde report.
