Mondey 23 Feb 2026 {HMC}Somaliland has signaled it is prepared to grant the United States access to its mineral resources and potentially host U.S. military bases, as the self-declared republic intensifies efforts to secure international recognition.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP) published Saturday, Somaliland’s Minister of the Presidency, Khadar Hussein Abdi, said the territory is open to exclusive agreements with Washington.
“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,” Abdi told AFP.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized by the United Nations or the African Union. In December, Israel became the first country to formally recognize Somaliland’s independence, a move strongly condemned by Somalia’s federal government and widely rejected by African and Arab states.
The United States has not changed its longstanding policy recognizing Somalia’s territorial integrity. However, comments by U.S. President Donald Trump in August when he suggested he was considering the Somaliland issue during a White House news conference fueled speculation about potential policy shifts.
Somalia has denounced Israel’s recognition as a violation of its sovereignty and has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse the decision.
Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has previously suggested granting Israel preferential access to mineral resources.
Somaliland occupies a strategic location along the Gulf of Aden, opposite Yemen a corridor that has gained heightened geopolitical significance amid regional instability and attacks by Houthi rebels on vessels linked to Israel.
Somaliland officials claim the territory holds deposits of lithium, coltan and other critical minerals increasingly sought for global technology and energy industries. However, independent geological assessments verifying the scale and commercial viability of these resources remain limited.
Source Hiiraan Online
