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Somaliland is willing to grant the United States access to its mineral resources and allow the establishment of U.S. military bases, a senior official said, as the breakaway region steps up efforts to gain international recognition.
“We are willing to give exclusive access to our minerals to the United States. Also, we are open to offering military bases to the United States,” Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s minister of the presidency, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) in an interview on Saturday.
“We believe that we will agree on something with the United States,” he added.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not been recognized internationally, aside from Israel, which announced recognition in December 2025.
The Somali federal government in Mogadishu continues to regard Somaliland as an integral part of Somalia, despite the territory having run its own affairs for more than three decades with its own currency, passport, army, and police force.
Somaliland lies along the Gulf of Aden, across from Yemen, where Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted Israeli-linked assets in what they describe as solidarity with Palestinians.
Officials in Somaliland say the territory is rich in strategic minerals, including lithium and coltan, though independent geological studies confirming the scale of the resources are lacking.
President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has previously suggested granting Israel privileged access to Somaliland’s mineral wealth. Abdi said he could not rule out the possibility of allowing Israel to establish a military presence as well.
Somali President Hasan Sheikh Mohamud has sharply criticized Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, describing it as “contrary to international law and dangerous.”
In an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera television, Mohamud said Israel’s December 2025 decision undermined regional stability and weakened the international order.
Addressing reports that Israel could establish a military base in Somaliland, Mohamud said Somalia would oppose any such move.
“As Somalis, we will never allow this. We will not accept such an attempt, and we will stand against it,” he said.
“We would resist to the extent of our capacity. Of course, we would defend ourselves. That means that if Israeli forces come, we would confront them. We oppose this, and we will never allow it.”
Mohamud described Israel’s recognition of Somaliland as a direct violation of Somalia’s territorial integrity.
“This step is an intervention in Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said.
“At the same time, it is a serious security issue affecting Africa, the Red Sea, and global trade.”
He argued that developments in Somaliland are linked to Israel’s war in Gaza.
“What is happening in Gaza and the developments in Somaliland cannot be considered separately,” Mohamud said. “They show how the foundations of the international order are being weakened.”
He added that international law is increasingly being sidelined. “The rule of law is being replaced by the idea that ‘might makes right,’” he said.
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Mohamud’s remarks come amid growing regional reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement on Dec. 26, 2025, that Israel had formally recognized Somaliland, making it the first and only country to do so.
The Somali federal government maintains that Somaliland remains an inseparable part of Somalia and says any agreements signed by the Somaliland administration with foreign states are legally invalid.
Located in northwestern Somalia, Somaliland occupies a strategically significant position near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s most critical maritime chokepoints linking the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
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