In a surprising turn of events that underscores intensifying geopolitical competition in the Horn of Africa, two rival administrations—the Federal Government of Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland—have separately offered the United States military access to key ports and air bases.
The competing overtures come at a time when several African nations are reassessing and reducing Western military footprints, positioning the strategically vital Horn as a renewed focal point for US security interests.
Somalia has formally moved to renew a military cooperation agreement first established in 1980, proposing to grant the US exclusive access to critical infrastructure, including the Balidogle air base and the ports of Berbera and Bosaso. According to a letter sent last year by Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to then-US President Donald Trump, the arrangement is designed to bolster American engagement in a region that serves as a gateway to the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
“These strategically positioned assets provide an opportunity to bolster American engagement in the region, ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor,” the letter stated.
Ali Mohamed Omar Balcad, Somalia’s state minister for foreign affairs, confirmed the offer to Bloomberg, emphasizing that the proposal builds upon a legal framework established over four decades ago, making it the “appropriate and lawful channel for any security cooperation.”
However, the offer is complicated by a parallel bid from Somaliland, the self-declared republic that has sought international recognition since breaking from Somalia in 1991. While Mogadishu claims sovereignty over the entire territory, Somaliland operates independently and controls the day-to-day management of the very assets Somalia is offering, including the strategically vital Berbera port.
Somaliland has upped the ante by tying military access to its long-standing goal of statehood. In a direct appeal to Washington, officials have offered exclusive access to its mineral resources and military facilities, including the Berbera airstrip, in exchange for diplomatic recognition.
“We are willing to give exclusive access to our minerals to the United States. Also, we are open to offer military bases to the United States,” Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency, told AFP.
This creates a delicate diplomatic dilemma for Washington. While the federal government in Mogadishu holds the legal authority to negotiate international agreements, any practical US military presence in Berbera would require cooperation from the Somaliland authorities and DP World, the private operator managing the port.
The competing offers highlight a high-stakes contest for influence in the Horn of Africa, a region critical to global trade and maritime security due to its proximity to the Gulf of Aden. Analysts suggest the US calculus will involve balancing counterterrorism cooperation with Somalia—crucial for operations against al-Shabaab—against the strategic allure of securing a long-term foothold in a region where great-power competition is intensifying.
For Somalia, renewing the 1980 framework is a move to assert its sovereignty and reaffirm its role as Washington’s primary partner. For Somaliland, the offer represents its most significant gambit yet to translate strategic geography into formal international standing.
