The Turkish TV series Teşkilat has sparked controversy after its Season 7 premiere portrayed the Somali president being kidnapped and later rescued by a Turkish intelligence team.
The storyline also touches on forced agreements involving Somalia’s oil, minerals and infrastructure, themes that may resonate with longstanding concerns among some Somalis about whether Turkey could gain access to Somalia’s natural resources and strategic infrastructure without sufficient transparency or accountability.
For many viewers, portraying such a storyline in which the Somali president is held hostage and Turkish intelligence comes to his rescue risks reinforcing sensitive perceptions about Somalia’s sovereignty and its relationship with Turkey.
