The administration of US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the partial recognition of Somaliland in exchange for permission to establish a naval base, according to the Financial Times.
An American official who told the FT about the new administration’s first contacts with the leadership of Somaliland shared that discussions have begun on a possible agreement to recognize the de facto state in exchange for creating a military base near the port of Berbera on the Red Sea coast.
According to the official, the Trump administration’s African team is still in the early stages of formation, and these “very preliminary, initial contacts” are ongoing.
The official also mentioned that the administration has raised the possibility of resettling refugees from both the United States and Gaza. However, this issue is secondary to the broader military discussions.
It is important to note that forced deportation of populations, as outlined under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, constitutes a crime against humanity and may lead to international criminal prosecution. Such actions could also be considered genocide.
Somaliland, formed on the territory of the former British protectorate of British Somaliland, separated from Somalia in 1991. This happened after the fall of the regime of dictator Siad Barre, which plunged the country into civil war.
While the rest of Somalia has fragmented into numerous warring factions engaged in permanent civil war, in Somaliland, which occupies approximately 20% of Somalia’s territory and is home to about a third of the population, the situation is relatively peaceful, and the standard of living is much higher.
In 2003, a referendum was held in Somaliland, where about 99% of the participants voted for independence and the adoption of the constitution of Somaliland. In total, Somaliland was recognized as an independent state by 10 countries of the world, including South Africa, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Belgium, Great Britain, France, South Sudan, the UAE, Kenya, and Zambia.
According to the outlet, the Somaliland government may be tempted by the prospect of US recognition. But any agreement related to refugees from Gaza could destabilize the “state” and strengthen the positions of the Islamists.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro denied that his government was negotiating with the United States over the resettlement of Palestinians and instead called for a solution supported by Arab consensus. In February 2025, Trump ordered the US military to launch a series of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Somalia.
