HARGEISA, Somaliland – Breakaway region Somaliland’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adan, has on Saturday issued a sharp rebuke against the Somali federal government’s reported plan to lease the Berbera airbase and ports to the United States, calling it a “desperate, misguided suicide mission.”
In a strongly worded statement posted on his social media account, the minister accused Somalia’s leadership of “grasping at straws” in an attempt “to counter Somaliland’s growing international legitimacy”.
“This reckless move exposes a faltering regime that is desperately trying to cling to relevance,”he wrote. “No such agreements can thwart Somaliland’s inevitable recognition on the global stage.”
The remarks come after media reports revealed that Somalia had offered the U.S. exclusive control over key strategic locations, including airbases and ports, as part of a broader security partnership.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, has long sought international recognition as a sovereign state despite not yet successful.
The region has its own government, and military. Meanwhile, Somalia’s foreign affairs and information ministers did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
Analysts suggest that Somalia’s reported offer to the U.S. may be an attempt to counterbalance Somaliland’s diplomatic gains. However, Somaliland officials remain confident that their path to full recognition remains unstoppable. Somalia opposes any move for Somaliland to be recognized as an independent nation.
