WASHINGTON — Somaliland’s defense minister, Mohamed Yusuf Ali, used a high-profile visit to Washington this week to press U.S. lawmakers and Defense Department officials for deeper security ties, underscoring a broader push by the republic to translate months of congressional interest into concrete diplomatic steps.
Minister Yusuf—who was invited to participate in a U.S. Department of Defense conference on emerging security threats and multilateral cooperation—also held meetings on Capitol Hill, including a Thursday session with Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a longtime congressional advocate of closer relations with Somaliland. The meetings came as multiple bills moving through Congress would, if enacted, alter the contours of U.S. policy toward the Horn of Africa.
“Somaliland is moving forward with strength and purpose,” Somaliland’s diplomatic mission in Washington wrote on social media following the meeting with Smith, thanking the congressman for what it described as his “leadership and commitment to advancing our shared priorities.” The mission said the discussions focused on “steady progress in U.S.–Somaliland relations and chart[ing] next steps to strengthen our partnership.”
A strategic argument in a strategic place
Somaliland—which restored independence from Somalia in 1991 and runs its own government, security forces, and ports—has for decades pressed for international recognition it has not received from the United States or most other countries. Advocates say the territory is a stable, functioning democracy in a region beset by terrorism, piracy, and great-power competition, and that formal ties would help safeguard key maritime routes off the Horn of Africa.
That argument has gained traction on Capitol Hill this year. Lawmakers have introduced several measures that would mark a significant shift in Washington’s approach: H.R. 3992, a bill that would recognize the Republic of Somaliland as an independent state; provisions in H.R. 5300 that would direct the State Department to consider a distinct U.S. presence in Hargeisa; and language in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act that some advocates say would effectively loosen the State Department’s longstanding “one Somalia” posture.
“The strategic location of Somaliland—overlooking the Red Sea–Gulf of Aden corridor—makes it of clear interest to U.S. national security planners,” said a Washington-based analyst who tracks Horn of Africa affairs. “Congressional activity this year reflects a bipartisan reassessment of how best to protect maritime access and counter malign influence in the region.”
From conference rooms to committee offices
At the Department of Defense conference, hosted in the nation’s capital, Minister Yusuf sat alongside counterparts and defense specialists from several countries in sessions designed to foster cooperation on counterterrorism, maritime security, and intelligence sharing. Officials and participants described the gatherings as part of a broad U.S. effort to build partnerships that address “emerging threats” in volatile regions.
Shortly after the conference sessions, Yusuf’s schedule took him to Capitol Hill. In addition to the meeting with Rep. Smith—a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who has supported legislation aimed at formalizing U.S. engagement with Somaliland—the minister held discussions with staff from other offices and with officials who are tracking the legislative measures now before Congress.
Bashir Goth, Somaliland’s envoy to the United States, posted on social media that he “greatly appreciated Rep. Chris Smith’s meeting” with the defense minister and thanked the congressman for helping “chart next steps to strengthen our partnership.” The post reflected the diplomatic mission’s effort to translate meetings in Washington into sustained legislative and policy momentum.
Lawmakers and former diplomats weigh in
Prominent voices inside and outside government have been urging Washington to rethink the longstanding U.S. approach to Somalia and Somaliland. Former U.S. diplomat Tibor P. Nagy Jr.—who served as assistant secretary of state for African affairs—hailed recent engagements as evidence the United States is “realigning” an “outdated ‘One Somalia’ policy” to better reflect realities on the ground. “Congrats to the ‘Little Country that Can,’” Nagy wrote on social media following Yusuf’s Washington meetings.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, has also publicly urged recognition of Somaliland, saying earlier this year that there is “a very real opportunity” for the United States to change course. Cruz’s office and other supporters argue recognition would anchor American influence in a pro-Western, relatively stable polity at a key maritime chokepoint.
The failed state’s desperate argument
Despite enthusiastic backing from some U.S. lawmakers and former diplomats, recognition and any permanent U.S. diplomatic or security footprint in Hargeisa raise biased questions. Somalia’s failed government vigorously opposes any steps that would treat Somaliland as a separate entity, viewing such moves as violations of its territorial integrity, despite Somaliland having never been part of Somalia for the last 34 years.
What comes next?
For Somaliland, the minister’s Washington itinerary is part of a larger campaign to convert sympathy on the Hill into policy outcomes: separate travel advisories, a U.S. representative office in Hargeisa, and, for some backers, outright recognition. The bills now in Congress are moving through committees and would need to survive negotiations in both chambers and the administration’s review to become law.
Back in Hargeisa, advocates welcomed the news from Washington. “This historic engagement shows that Somaliland’s diplomacy and vision are gaining the recognition they deserve,” one Somaliland official said in a statement distributed by the mission in Washington. “We are earning acknowledgment through leadership, peace, and partnership.”
As lawmakers weigh competing strategic considerations, the question now is whether Washington will move beyond symbolic gestures and hearings to binding policy changes—and how such moves will reshape dynamics in a region where security, commerce, and great-power competition increasingly intersect.
