US Unchanged Policy on Somalia Stalls Somaliland Recognition Quest

The U.S. government has stated that its policy on Somalia remains unchanged, amidst recent increased focus on the official recognition of Somaliland as a sovereign country. A State Department official, speaking anonymously, said the U.S. "continues to stand by its longstanding position on Somalia," meaning it still views Somaliland, a self-declared autonomous state, as being under Somalia's sovereignty. The official did add that the issue of recognition for Somaliland "remains under regular review."

These remarks reiterate the diplomatic snags Somaliland's quest faces, despite some optimism that the Trump administration may be swayed in favor of recognition, as its government seeks to offer mining deals, port access, and other tangible benefits in exchange.

The support of Senator Cruz, the Republican chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, is crucial for Somaliland’s lobbying efforts. The eastern African state broke away from Somalia and declared its independence in 1991; however, it has not been recognized by the international community as a sovereign state. If the U.S. becomes the first country to recognize Somaliland’s sovereignty, it will undoubtedly be a significant boon to its hopes for increased diplomatic visibility worldwide.

Speaking with Bloomberg in late July, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi stated that his government is willing to offer the U.S. a strategic military base at the entrance to the Red Sea, as well as a deal for the mining of critical minerals, in exchange for recognition.

“Somaliland is located in a very strategic location, it has 850KM [528 miles] of sea shore in the Gulf of Aden,” Abdullahi, elected last November, stated, hoping that the country’s easy access to what Cruz described as “one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors” will help sway U.S. recognition.

Earlier this month, President Trump said his administration was looking into a deal for Somaliland’s recognition in exchange for receiving Palestinian refugees from Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza. Also, Cruz said in his letter that Somaliland has “sought to strengthen ties with Israel, and voiced support for the Abraham Accords.”

The Somaliland government welcomed Trump’s remarks, saying that it’s a recognition of the state’s “34-year history of upholding peace, democratic governance, and sustainable development.”

The critical minerals deal offer could very well sway Trump; his administration recently brokered a peace deal between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, after the former offered a minerals-for-peace deal. However, there’s no assurance that there will be peace in eastern DR Congo, which is currently being held by M23 rebels, allegedly with the help of Rwandan forces.

Somaliland has been attempting for years to gain external recognition, and it appeared to be on the verge of success through a deal with Ethiopia. The deal would’ve given landlocked Ethiopia access to Somaliland’s port, but Somalia opposed it, as the East African country still considers Somaliland to be part of its territory. Tensions between Ethiopia and Somalia briefly escalated after Somalia allied itself with Egypt, which vehemently opposes Ethiopia’s massive dam project.

Relations between Ethiopia and Somalia were patched up earlier this year, which led to the shuttering of the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal. Now eyeing the U.S., Somaliland’s pivot is a maneuver that could help accomplish its goal.

This story was originally posted August 15 at 4:53 p.m. and has been updated.

August 19, 2:08 p.m. Updated to include new comments about unchanged U.S. policy.