HARGEISA (Somaliguardian) – In a gesture of solidarity and grassroots diplomacy, President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi of Somaliland shared tea on Sunday evening with residents at a modest teashop in the heart of Berbera, the bustling port city on the Gulf of Aden. The visit, marked by informal charm and political calculation, aimed to underscore the region’s stability and reassert its strategic relevance to international partners.
President Irro, on his first working visit to Berbera since taking office last year, used the trip to underscore the city’s stability and showcase its potential to host a U.S. naval base – just weeks after offering the site to Washington as part of a bid for international recognition.
Accompanied by senior ministers and local officials, Irro walked along Berbera’s main streets, greeting residents, waving to passersby, and engaging in candid conversations about life and security in the city. The president’s approachable manner appeared to resonate with locals, many of whom gathered to glimpse the leader amid tight but unobtrusive security.
Later in the day, Irro, joined by Berbera’s mayor, toured the city’s central market, inspecting stalls and speaking with vendors in a bid to better understand economic conditions in the vital port hub.
Berbera, located along one of the world’s busiest maritime corridors, has long been at the center of Somaliland’s foreign policy ambitions. Its deep-water port and relative calm stand in contrast to the volatility in much of the wider Horn of Africa. Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, continues to seek international recognition, arguing that its record of peace and democratic governance sets it apart in a fragile region.
President Irro’s visit comes amid renewed efforts to elevate Somaliland’s diplomatic profile, as well as growing interest in the Horn of Africa from global powers seeking strategic footholds in the region.
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