US “working on” Somaliland issue, says Trump

US President Donald Trump said his country was “working on” the Somaliland issue in a surprise revelation during a press conference alongside Azerbaijan’s president and Armenia’s prime minister. It is the first time the US president has addressed the issue amid long-simmering rumors about whether the US could break with its “One Somalia” policy and enhance cooperation with or even recognise Somaliland. Trump said it was a “complex one”, adding that the US was “looking into that”.

He didn’t give any more of an indication of what he’s thinking. The statement follows the offer of a US military base by Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Irro), last month in an interview with Bloomberg which didn’t get a response. The Financial Times reported this week that US officials have held talks with Somaliland about such a deal.

Hargeisa has been lobbying Washington since 2022, when Muse Bihi was president, presenting itself as a reliable partner for enhanced US engagement. This has won it friends in Washington — from Republican Senate foreign affairs committee chair, James Risch, to Democrat Chris Van Hollen — as well as support from think tanks like the Hudson Institute and the Heritage Foundation. Risch and Van Hollen were co-sponsors of the Somaliland Partnership Act, which called for a feasibility study on deeper diplomatic and security engagement with Somaliland, but which eventually fizzled out. However, the US has signalled ambivalence until now about going further.

According to the Financial Times, the US has or is undertaking a review of its Somalia policy and Hargeisa has sensed an opportunity. But in April, the State Department’s Africa Media Hub posted: “Our intention is to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all nations. Not just one, but all nations.” It is difficult to predict what this statement will mean. There are rumors that Irro will visit Washington. One thing we can be certain of is that the Somaliland issue has definitely reached the president’s desk.