Somaliland courts Trump with critical minerals and a military base

Somaliland has renewed its offer to grant the United States exclusive access to its critical minerals and has offered a potential military base in exchange for diplomatic recognition from the Trump administration.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Khadar Hussein Abdi, Somaliland’s Minister of the Presidency, said the territory is prepared to offer Washington preferential rights to its natural resources.

“We are willing to give exclusive access to our minerals to the United States,” Abdi said. He added that the government in Hargeisa is also “open to offering military bases to the United States,” expressing confidence that an agreement could be reached. “We believe that we will agree on something with the United States,” he said.

The minister, a close ally of President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro, proposal is part of a broader diplomatic push to secure international recognition for Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

The renewed outreach to Washington follows earlier remarks by President Irro indicating that Somaliland is actively pursuing strategic partnerships based on its natural resource potential. In early February, Irro announced that the territory was in advanced talks with Israel to establish a trade agreement, with expectations of attracting Israeli investment in key sectors.

Although no formal agreement has yet been signed, Irro said Somaliland is prepared to offer access to its mineral wealth, including oil and gas, as part of a broader economic partnership. He identified agriculture, fisheries, and energy as priority sectors for trade and foreign investment.

Momentum for new alliances increased after Israel formally recognized Somaliland in late December, becoming the first country to acknowledge the territory’s independence since 1991. The move was followed by the establishment of diplomatic ties, including a visit to Hargeisa by Israel’s foreign minister to discuss cooperation in trade, agriculture, and infrastructure development.

For Somaliland, the recognition marked a turning in its decades-long quest for international legitimacy. Strategically located along key maritime routes in the Horn of Africa near the Gulf of Aden, Hargeisa has increasingly sought to leverage its geopolitical position and untapped natural resources to attract foreign partners.

The latest offers of access to critical minerals signal a calculated diplomatic strategy aimed at drawing investment and potentially advancing its long-standing bid for recognition, particularly from the Trump administration. The timing of the outreach is notable. In August last year, Trump publicly stated that his administration was “working” on the issue of Somaliland. While the remark did not constitute formal recognition, it suggested that the matter had entered policy discussions in Washington.

Against this backdrop, Hargeisa’s mineral diplomacy can be seen as an effort to align its strategic value with the foreign policy and economic priorities of the current U.S. administration.

Critical minerals have become central to U.S. strategic policy, particularly as Washington seeks to secure supply chains essential for advanced technologies, energy transition infrastructure, and defense manufacturing. The Trump administration has previously emphasized reducing dependence on rival powers for such resources. Its reported engagement with the Democratic Republic of the Congo to expand American access to Africa’s critical mineral reserves reflects this broader objective.

From this perspective, Somaliland’s offer is an attempt to court Trump administration. By positioning itself as a potential alternative and supplementary source of strategic minerals, Hargeisa is signaling that it can contribute to U.S. efforts to diversify supply chains. In doing so, it aims to secure both American investment and political backing within Washington’s decision-making circles.

Beyond minerals, the offer of a military base adds another layer of strategic calculation. The Horn of Africa and the Red Sea corridor have grown increasingly volatile, particularly amid U.S. efforts to deter and strike Houthi forces in response to their regional activities. As tensions in the Middle East intensify and the United States expands its military footprint in anticipation of possible escalations involving Iran, geographic proximity has become an increasingly valuable strategic asset.

Somaliland’s coastal location along the Gulf of Aden offers access to critical maritime trade routes. By offering basing rights, Somaliland appears to be making a strategic wager: that deeper U.S. military engagement in the region will elevate its geopolitical relevance and keep the question of its political status firmly on Washington’s foreign policy agenda.

Taken together, the dual offer of mineral access and military basing rights reflects Somaliland’s readiness to engage with the Trump administration through transactional diplomacy. It seeks to convert its geoeconomic assets and strategic geographic location into diplomatic leverage. Rather than framing recognition solely as a normative issue of self-determination, Hargeisa is embedding its case within Washington’s strategic priorities — resource security, great-power competition, and regional military positioning. Whether this approach will result in formal recognition remains uncertain. However, it demonstrates a pragmatic understanding of transactional diplomacy, which has become a defining feature of Trump’s second term.