Somalia’s federal government has offered the United States “exclusive operational control” over strategic ports in the Gulf of Aden, in a bid to prevent any US recognition of Somaliland. The proposal, outlined in a letter dated March 16 and seen by Semafor, was sent by Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to US President Donald Trump.
The letter describes the Berbera port and airbase in Somaliland and the Bosaso port and airbase in Puntland as “strategically positioned assets” that could strengthen US military and logistical presence in the region. However, the Somali government does not control either of these locations. Mogadishu maintains that both fall under its sovereign territory, despite Somaliland functioning as a self-governing entity for over three decades and Puntland severing ties with the federal government last year.
The Somali government’s letter stresses that granting the US access to these locations would “ensure uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor.” The proposal comes amid rising concerns in Mogadishu that Washington may shift its focus from Somalia’s state-building process toward direct engagement with Somaliland and Puntland.
A senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Cameron Hudson, commented on the development, saying, “They are offering this as a way of getting the US to recognize the legitimacy of the Somali state over these breakaway regions.”
Somaliland, which has long sought international recognition, sees a potential opening under the Trump administration. US officials have expressed interest in deepening ties with Somaliland, with a congressional subcommittee calling for a representative office in Hargeisa earlier this year. Somaliland had previously offered the US access to Berbera in exchange for recognition in 2022.
The strategic significance of Berbera and Bosaso has increased amid rising tensions in the Red Sea, including Houthi attacks on commercial vessels. US recognition of Somaliland could provide a foothold for intelligence operations in the region, monitoring arms trafficking and Chinese activities. However, such a move could also escalate regional tensions, as Somalia has previously mobilized international opposition to similar agreements.
Somaliland’s Berbera port and airbase are crucial spots that could be leveraged to monitor and counter Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In 2022, Somaliland itself offered the US access to the port in exchange for recognition. Earlier this month, Somaliland’s Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adan told an Israeli public broadcast that it was open to absorbing Gazan citizens in exchange for recognition.
Puntland severed ties with Mogadishu last March following years of political disputes. Its Bosaso port is also strategically situated on the Gulf of Aden and is a commercial hub. The Islamic State has established a stronghold in the mountainous region of Puntland, and it has been the focus of Emirati and American airstrikes. Bosaso has been a staging ground for the Puntland Defense Forces’ fight against the militants.
Currently, the main operator at the ports of both Berbera and Bosaso is DP World, a multinational logistics company based in the United Arab Emirates, whose government has been a key backer of Somaliland’s quest for independence and also maintains ties with Israel.
Recognition of any kind for Somaliland could make for potential conflict in a volatile region. Tensions heightened last year when the self-autonomous territory said that it reached an agreement to lease land to landlocked Ethiopia to build a naval facility on the Berbera coast in exchange for recognition. Somalia managed to rally international support against the deal, and with Turkey acting as a mediator, the move was quashed.
According to Hudson, the Somali government is concerned that the US is going to cut ties with the federal government and end its decade-long state-building project to instead focus on counter-terrorism from key bases. “The idea among Republicans is ‘this is not a state.’ It is not in our interest to try to build a functioning state in Somalia. We can carry out counter-terror operations without that,” he explained.
“It reeks of desperation,” said Mohamed Mubarak, head of the Puntland Security Coordinator Office, of the letter Mogadishu sent to the White House. “The Federal Government does not control any territory beyond Mogadishu and its environs, and it’s a desperate attempt at projecting its influence beyond that region.”
Bashe Omar, a former representative of Somaliland to the UAE and Kenya, told Semafor the strategic importance of Berbera “cannot be underestimated.” He added that the new Trump administration appears more open to reviewing longstanding US foreign policy and so there “may be more openness to assign relationships based on strategic interests and on-the-ground realities rather than legacy policies.”
Regional actors, including the UAE and Turkey, are also key stakeholders in the dispute. DP World, a UAE-based logistics giant, operates both ports and has backed Somaliland’s push for independence. Meanwhile, Turkey has supported Somalia’s federal government and played a mediating role in past disputes.
