Former US Ambassador Tibor Nagy urges Washington to recognize Somaliland, citing its strategic location, Berbera, security record and democratic institutions
WASHINGTON — Former U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Tibor Nagy has urged the United States to reassess its policy toward Somaliland, arguing that the self-governing territory’s political stability, strategic location and security partnerships could make it an increasingly valuable partner for Washington in the Horn of Africa and around the Red Sea.
Speaking at a meeting jointly organized by BFF and the Hudson Institute, Nagy highlighted what he described as Somaliland’s progress in democratic governance, security and economic development despite limited international support.
His intervention comes as Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” is expected to travel to Washington in early September, creating a potentially important opening for Hargeisa to press its case with U.S. policymakers at a time when competition over the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea is intensifying.
Nagy, who served as U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia and has extensive experience in African affairs, pointed to Somaliland’s political development and market-oriented economy as among the factors that could underpin a closer relationship with Washington.
He also drew attention to Somaliland’s geographic position along the Gulf of Aden and its strategic infrastructure, particularly Berbera Port and Berbera Airport.
That combination, he suggested, gives Somaliland significance beyond its immediate borders. Berbera sits near one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors, linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the wider Indian Ocean.
A strategic case for Somaliland
For Washington, the value of Somaliland extends beyond its domestic political record, Nagy argued. Its location, security cooperation and relationships with countries outside the traditional regional power structure could provide the United States with additional strategic options in the Horn of Africa.
Nagy specifically cited Somaliland’s cooperation with Taiwan, its counterterrorism role and its broader contribution to regional security.
His remarks underscore an argument increasingly advanced by Somaliland’s supporters in Washington: that the territory should be assessed not only through the unresolved question of its international status but also through the strategic interests of the United States.
Somaliland declared its independence from Somalia in 1991 and has since operated with its own government, security institutions, currency and political system. Yet it remains without formal international recognition.
Nagy described that lack of recognition as one of the principal constraints on Somaliland’s development, despite what he characterized as substantial progress achieved largely through its own efforts.
For Somaliland officials, the distinction is central to their diplomatic campaign. Hargeisa argues that its record of relative stability and democratic institution-building should justify a different approach from Washington than the one traditionally applied to Somalia.
Berbera and the Red Sea calculation
The strategic importance of Berbera has become increasingly prominent in discussions about Somaliland’s place in regional geopolitics.
Berbera Port provides access to the Gulf of Aden and sits along maritime routes connecting the Middle East, East Africa and the wider Indian Ocean. The nearby airport adds another potential component to the territory’s strategic infrastructure.
For U.S. policymakers, the significance of such facilities has grown as instability around the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb has raised the importance of alternative logistical and security partnerships in the region.
Nagy’s emphasis on Berbera therefore places Somaliland within a broader strategic debate over access, maritime security, counterterrorism and regional competition.
His argument is not simply that Somaliland occupies a strategically useful location. Rather, it is that the territory’s political and security characteristics could make that geography more consequential for Washington.
Recognition as a U.S. strategic question
Nagy has become one of the more prominent former American diplomats advocating greater U.S. attention to Somaliland.
His latest remarks go beyond a call for closer engagement. He has publicly supported U.S. recognition of Somaliland, arguing that recognition would advance broader American strategic interests and contribute to regional security.
That position challenges the longstanding U.S. approach, under which Washington has maintained diplomatic relations with Somalia’s federal government while generally supporting Somalia’s territorial integrity.
For Somaliland, Nagy’s intervention offers an influential American voice ahead of President Irro’s anticipated Washington visit.
The timing could give Hargeisa an opportunity to make the case that its sovereignty campaign is not merely a diplomatic or historical dispute, but also a question with direct implications for U.S. interests.
President Irro’s Washington opportunity
If the planned visit proceeds, President Irro will enter Washington with several issues likely to dominate discussions: Somaliland’s international recognition campaign, security cooperation, Berbera’s strategic potential, Red Sea maritime security, counterterrorism, trade and relations with regional powers.
The visit could also provide an opportunity for Somaliland to articulate how closer U.S. engagement with Hargeisa might complement Washington’s broader objectives in the Horn of Africa.
Nagy’s intervention may help frame that conversation.
By emphasizing Somaliland’s governance, security record, economic orientation and strategic geography, the former ambassador has presented a case for treating Hargeisa as a potential strategic partner rather than solely as an unresolved component of Somalia’s territorial dispute.
The question for Washington is whether that argument can translate into a substantive policy shift.
For Somaliland, the stakes are considerably larger. Formal recognition remains the central objective of its foreign policy, while closer ties with the United States could provide diplomatic weight, strengthen its international position and deepen cooperation with one of the world’s most influential powers.
As Irro prepares for his expected visit, Nagy’s message places Somaliland squarely within a broader U.S. debate over how Washington should position itself in a strategically contested Horn of Africa and an increasingly volatile Red Sea region.
