Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland has rejected an attempt by the central government to give the US exclusive control of a port and airbase in Berbera.
The city lies on the strategic Gulf of Aden, on the northern coast of Somaliland. The territory, which declared independence in 1991 as Somalia descended into civil war, says the facilities are not Mogadishu’s to give away.
In a letter to US President Donald Trump, seen by Reuters news agency, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud also offered port and airbase within Somalia, saying all four would strengthen US security operations.
Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs Minister Abdirahman Dahir Aden dismissed the move as “desperate”.
Signals given before Trump began his second term have given Somalilanders hope that the US may become the world’s first country to recognise the self-declared republic, which has functioned as a de facto state for nearly 34 years.
“There is nothing they can do to stop the upcoming recognition of Somaliland,” Mr Adan posted on X in response to the letter.
Somaliland’s recently expanded port in Berbera is run by DP World from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – a key US ally.
“The USA is not stupid. They know who they need to deal with when it comes to Berbera port,” the minister told Reuters.
The US has long played a pivotal role in helping Somalia fight Islamist militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group by providing intelligence and air strikes.
Al-Shabab, which controls swathes of territory in southern and central Somalia, is regarded as al-Qaeda’s most successful affiliate.
Observers say Mogadishu fears that Trump will reduce US support, as he did during his first term.
In December, the Somali government signed a $600,000 (£492,000) a year deal with a top Washington lobbying firm for advice on US-Somalia relations.
The letter to Trump, which Reuters says is dated 16 March, explains how exclusive control of the offered airbases and ports could help the US counter the influence of other international players in the Horn of Africa – a likely reference to China and Russia.
“These strategically positioned assets provide an opportunity to bolster American engagement in the region… while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor,” it said.
But the federal set-up of Somalia may also scupper President Mohamud’s offer of the port of Bosaso, which is located in the semi-autonomous north-eastern region of Puntland.
Officials there have yet to comment on the letter, but Somalia’s Garowe Online publication says that if the offer was made without consulting them. relations between Puntland and Mogadishu may be further strained.
The second airbase mentioned is at Baledogle, north-west of the capital, where US soldiers already have a presence training Somali forces to fight al-Shabab.
It is not the first time a port in Somaliland has been a source of dispute.
Last year, Turkey stepped in to end a feud that threatened to escalate into a regional conflict after landlocked Ethiopia signed a maritime deal with Somaliland to build a port there.
Somalia responded by calling the move an “act of aggression” as it regards Somaliland as part of its territory.
