The Somaliland’s administration has long been lobbying the United States for support, saying it is willing to offer a strategic military base and essential minerals as part of the deal
The United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and 17 other countries are in the final stages of an agreement to grant official recognition to the Republic of Somaliland in the coming months, sources cited by the news website Middle East 24 reported.
According to the news website, Somaliland is expected to join the Abraham Accords soon, marking a significant diplomatic development in the Horn of Africa and the broader Middle East region. The issue of recognizing Somaliland, which proclaimed its independence from Somalia in 1991, has long been the focus of diplomatic speculation and negotiations.
The Somaliland’s administration has long pressured the United States to support its path to international recognition, saying it is willing to offer Washington a strategic military base at the entrance to the Red Sea and essential minerals as part of the agreement.
Last July, in an interview with “Bloomberg”, the president of Somaliland, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Aka “Irro,” had expressed interest in reaching an agreement with the US to secure official recognition of Somaliland. “If the United States is interested in landing in Somaliland, they are welcome,” Irro said, adding that his administration would also be ready to propose a deal involving key minerals, including lithium.
The Somaliland president revealed that he recently held talks with US diplomats and military officials in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland. However, in response to growing speculation, the US State Department reiterated its long-standing position, stating that it recognizes only “one Somalia” and continues to support the country’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity. “We discussed ways and means to cooperate on security, trade, and regional stability,” Irro said.
When asked about the possibility of establishing a US military base in the territory, he added: “We are still discussing. We expect this discussion to bear fruit in the future.”
In this light, in recent months Irro has held talks with a high-level US delegation led by Ambassador Richard Riley and supported by the Commander-in-Chief of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), Michael Langley, Along with senior U.S. military officials and diplomats, they are visiting Hargeisa.
While specific details remain confidential, the visit signals the United States’ growing interest in Somaliland, which has been seeking international recognition since 1991. The delegation’s visit to Berbera, home to a major port and a military base funded by the United Arab Emirates, also fueled rumors of Washington’s plans to expand its military presence in the Horn of Africa.
Neither side has confirmed these intentions. Somaliland, strategically located along the Gulf of Aden, has long sought to leverage its geographic importance and untapped mineral resources as part of its ongoing campaign for international legitimacy and has long been the target of several regional powers.
The territory overlooks the Gulf of Aden, not far from the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb—through which approximately 12 percent of world trade passes—and a few kilometers from the coast of Yemen, largely controlled by the pro-Iranian Shiite Houthi militias. It is therefore no coincidence that attempts to seize the 850-kilometer stretch of sea from the border with Djibouti in the west to the border with Puntland in the east have multiplied recently.
While the country has been in the spotlight in recent months due to the controversial memorandum of understanding signed in January 2024 between the authorities in Hargeisa and the Ethiopian government, which would allow the latter to gain coveted access to the Red Sea through the concession of 20 kilometers of coastline around the port of Berbera, more recently Somaliland appears to have come into the sights of Israel, which, through the United Arab Emirates, is reportedly interested in building a naval base there from which to more effectively counter Houthi rebel attacks in the Gulf of Aden.
Last October, the Middle East Monitor was among the first media outlets to report Israel’s interest in Somaliland, revealing the Jewish state’s secret efforts to establish a military base in the pro-independence country. This would allow Israel to launch preemptive strikes on Houthi targets and deter further attacks, in exchange for official recognition of Hargeisa and increased financial investment in the region.
Citing diplomatic sources, the website claimed that the Emirates were mediating between the two sides, having already secured funding for the project. This news was confirmed more recently by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, which stated that the Houthis’ demonstrated operational capabilities have forced Israel to find countermeasures to defeat the threat posed by Yemeni Shiite militants, given the unsustainability of sending its fighter jets on lengthy and costly raids on Yemen every time a drone explodes inside the country.
Israel’s military strategy, moreover, has long focused on ensuring strategic depth in unstable regions. In the Mediterranean, Israel has relied on Cyprus for operational support. Somaliland would represent a similar opportunity in the Red Sea, allowing Israel to monitor and respond to threats from Yemen.
The Emirates’ active role in facilitating Israeli military expansion also highlights the Gulf state’s ambitions to dominate strategic sea lanes. Abu Dhabi’s influence extends beyond Somaliland to the Socotra archipelago in Yemen, where it operates a joint military and intelligence facility with Israel on Abdul Kuri Island.
The initiative for a joint Israeli-Emirati base in Somaliland would therefore be in line with the Emirates’ broader strategic interests in the Red Sea region, where Abu Dhabi has maintained a military and commercial presence since 2017 through the port of Berbera and its associated infrastructure.
Emirati involvement also includes substantial financial investments, such as a $440 million project to develop the port and airport, which serve as strategic hubs for Emirati military operations in Yemen. Israel and the Emirates share a mutual hostility towards the Houthi group, which poses a strategic threat to their interests.
Of course, the establishment of an Israeli military base in Somaliland would also risk destabilizing the already volatile Red Sea region. Egypt, for example, could view this development as a potential threat to its sovereignty and the security of the Suez Canal.
The Israeli-Emirati project could find significant support from the administration of the President of the United States, Donald Trump. Indeed, there are many rumors that Trump intends to recognize Hargeisa’s independence.
Several former officials and think tank members close to the US Republicans believe so, including Peter Pham, The former envoy for Africa during Trump’s first term, according to whom the proper conduct of the democratic process in the recent presidential elections in Somaliland has “demonstrated its attractiveness as a partner for the United States and other countries.”
Recently, the former United Kingdom Defense Secretary, Gavin Williamson, stated that Trump should consider formally recognizing Somaliland’s independence, hoping that the new US administration will address the issue.
A first concrete step in this direction came on December 12, when the Republican congressman Scott Perry, member of the US House of Representatives, has introduced a bill in Congress calling on the US government to extend formal recognition of Somaliland’s independence. The resolution advocates a shift in US policy to recognize the independence of Somaliland, which is seen as a strategic partner in a region where China and Russia continue to expand their influence.
