President Cirro Is Offering US Base, Minerals Deals without A Diplomatic Recognition

Somaliland, which restored its independence in 1991, is willing to offer the US a military base at the entrance to the Red Sea and critical-minerals deals in its quest for international recognition as a sovereign state.

While the US currently acknowledges Somalia’s claim to the territory, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahiis lobbying Washington to support the semi-autonomous region’s push for recognition — joining a wider competition for Donald Trump’s attention as the US vies with China for strategic resources in Africa.

Abdullahi, who came to power in the breakaway Horn of Africa region in 2024, said talks with the US Embassy in Somalia and Department of Defense are aimed at securing a new partnership on economic cooperation, security and counter-terrorism.

“We discussed ways and means to collaborate in security, in trade and in regional stability,” the president said in an interview on Monday, noting that the US ambassador to Somalia has visited Somaliland several times in recent months, while defense officials traveled to his region in December.

The U.S. Department of Defense did not respond to requests for comment.

Somaliland has failed to gain international recognition as a sovereign state since proclaiming independence. But while Somalia has grappled with three decades of civil war and an entrenched Islamist-militant insurgency, the breakaway region has been mostly peaceful.

Recognizing strategically placed Somaliland would strengthen America’s foothold in an increasingly important region, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen target ships with links to Israel, the US and other nations supporting the war in Gaza. The United Arab Emirates, a close US ally, already runs a port at Berbera in Somaliland and controls a nearby airstrip that’s used by military planes.

The US would also have to consider what Somaliland recognition would mean for security co-operation with Somalia, where it’s played a major role in helping the government fight Islamic State and Al-Qaida affiliates. Africa Command deputy head John Brennan said fighting terror groups was “our main effort,” especially in eastern Africa.

“That’s where most of our people are,” he told reporters Monday. “It’s the biggest investment that we have.”

While US Ambassador Richard Riley and other officials have met with the president and other Somaliland officials to discuss shared interests in the Horn of Africa region, the State Department is not in active discussions with Somaliland’s representatives about a deal to recognize Somaliland as a state, it said in a statement.

The US recognizes the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, which includes Somaliland, the department said, echoing Somalia’s Foreign Ministry.

“The official policy of the US, consistent with international norms, is the recognition of ‘One Somalia’ supporting the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Somalia as a single, indivisible state,” Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, Ali Mohamed Omar, said by phone on Tuesday.

Abdullahi said that while statehood recognition remains a goal, the path to achieving that lies primarily through engagement with the international community on security, trade, counter-terrorism, anti-piracy and illegal migration.

“If the US is interested to land in Somaliland they are most welcome,” Abdullahi said, adding he would be prepared to offer the US a critical-minerals deal for products such as lithium.

Somaliland doesn’t currently produce lithium, though it’s previously issued a license to Saudi Arabia-based Kilomass Co.to explore for deposits of the metal, the Somaliland Chronicle news website reported in June 2024.

The region also has deposits of tin, gemstones and industrial minerals including gypsum, cement materials and gold, according to a report published by African Mining in June 2023.

The president said he expects to visit the US and that offering Washington new deals is “not conditional” on Trump formally recognizing the breakaway region.

Asked about a potential US military base in Somaliland, he said: “We are now still discussing issues. We are looking forward to that discussion bearing fruits in the future.”

On relations with Somalia, Abdullahi denounced what he said were recent efforts by Mogadishu to set up a parallel administration inside Somaliland.

“Somalia cannot talk and have dialog with Somaliland while it’s cutting parts of Somaliland and making a separate administration,” he said. “We are a peace-loving nation, but Somaliland is capable of defending its territory and its people.”

This article was originally published at Blomberg News