Somaliland’s Foreign Minister, Abdirahman Dahir Aden, has strongly condemned Somalia’s proposal to lease strategic assets, including the Berbera airbase and port, to the United States.
He described the move as indicative of “a faltering regime grasping at straws” and asserted that it would not impede Somaliland’s pursuit of international recognition.
This development follows reports that Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud offered the U.S. exclusive control over several strategic locations, including the Berbera facilities, in a letter to President Donald Trump.
Berbera, located in the self-declared republic Somaliland, has been a focal point in regional geopolitics.
In 2017, Somaliland’s parliament approved a deal allowing the United Arab Emirates to establish a military base there.
More recently, in December 2024, Somaliland expressed willingness to host a U.S. military base in Berbera in exchange for recognition of its sovereignty.
These overlapping claims and proposals underscore the complex and often contentious dynamics surrounding control and utilization of strategic assets in the Horn of Africa.