Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addresses the media inside his office in Mogadishu, Somalia February 21, 2024
March 29 – Somalia is prepared to offer the United States exclusive control of strategic air bases and ports.
In the March 16 letter to President Donald Trump, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the assets included air bases in Balidogle and Berbera as well as the ports of Berbera and Bosaso.
Somalia’s foreign affairs and information ministers are yet to comment on the matter.
The offer could give the United States a firmer military presence in the Horn of Africa and East Africa regions as it looks to counter the threat from Islamist militants in Somalia and across the region.
“These strategically positioned assets provide an opportunity to bolster American engagement in the region, ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor,” the letter said.
Berbera is in the breakaway Somaliland region, meaning the offer for the port and air base there would put the government there and Somalia on a collision course.
Somalia opposes any move for Somaliland to be recognized as an independent nation.
Balidogle is about 90 km (55 miles) northwest of the capital, Mogadishu, while Bosaso is in the semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
