HARGEISA (Somaliguardian) – Somaliland has signaled it is ready to grant the United States exclusive access to key mineral deposits and to host U.S. military facilities, a senior official told AFP, as the territory presses its decades-long campaign for formal international recognition.
The remarks come amid heightened diplomatic activity following Israel’s recognition of Somaliland’s independence in December. The territory declared its separation from Somalia in 1991 but has yet to secure broad international acknowledgment of its sovereignty.
Authorities in Mogadishu continue to consider Somaliland part of Somalia’s sovereign territory. Nevertheless, Somaliland has operated as a self-governing administration for more than three decades, maintaining its own passport, currency, security forces and governing institutions.
“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,” Khadar Hussein Abdi, minister of the presidency, said in an interview Saturday.
“We believe that we will agree on something with the United States.”
In recent weeks, Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi has also floated the possibility of granting Israel preferential access to the region’s mineral resources.
Abdi added that he could not dismiss the prospect of permitting Israel to establish a military presence in the territory.
Strategically positioned along the Gulf of Aden, opposite Yemen, Somaliland occupies a corridor of growing geopolitical importance. In recent months, the Houthi movement in Yemen has launched attacks on Israeli-linked targets, describing the operations as expressions of solidarity with Palestinians.
Somaliland officials say the region holds deposits of lithium, coltan and other high-demand minerals. However, comprehensive independent assessments of those resources have not yet been completed.
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