Washington, USA – The United States is not seeking to establish a new military base in Somaliland, the US military said this week, even as disruptions in the Red Sea and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz draw fresh attention to the territory’s strategic Berbera port.
The statement from US Africa Command (AFRICOM) came amid speculation that Washington might seek an alternative military foothold on the Gulf of Aden.
That debate intensified after AFRICOM commander General Dagvin Anderson visited Somaliland on November 26, 2025 and toured the port of Berbera and its airfield, which has one of the longest runways in Africa.
However, an AFRICOM spokesperson, in remarks reported by Fox News Digital, said: “The U.S. is not seeking to establish new basing as such actions do not align with the America First security framework articulated by the President and Secretary of War.”
Separately, a State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that Washington “continues to recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, which includes the territory of Somaliland,” reaffirming the longstanding U.S. position.
Cold War echoes
Renewed interest in Berbera recalls its Cold War history.
In the 1970s, the port served as a major Soviet naval and missile facility before Somali leader Siad Barre expelled Soviet advisers and moved closer to Washington.
Today, the debate has resurfaced amid a worsening shipping crisis.
Western naval forces have struggled to fully secure the Red Sea from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who sank four commercial vessels between 2024 and 2025.
Major shipping companies have since largely avoided the Bab al-Mandeb strait, a chokepoint that historically handled around 12 percent of global trade, and rerouted vessels around southern Africa.
With Iran-linked threats and new disruption around the Strait of Hormuz putting further pressure on global energy routes, ports along the western Gulf of Aden have gained fresh military and commercial relevance.
For Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognised internationally, the crisis has created a diplomatic opening.
Somaliland officials and some Western analysts have promoted Berbera as a stable, pro-Western hub for maritime and air operations across the Gulf of Aden.
Dubai’s DP World already operates the port as a major commercial asset despite strong objections from Mogadishu.
Recognition minefield
Any American move to use Berbera more formally would risk a diplomatic dispute in the Horn of Africa.
Somaliland’s profile rose sharply when Israel became the first country to formally recognise its independence in late December 2025.
That move triggered condemnation from the African Union and anger in Mogadishu, which considers Somaliland part of its territory.
Washington has been careful not to deepen those tensions.
Regional strains are already high following a January 2024 memorandum of understanding between Ethiopia and Somaliland granting Addis Ababa maritime access.
A formal US military foothold at Berbera would clash directly with Washington’s Somalia policy and could strain ties not only with Mogadishu but also with Arab partners such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which support Somali unity.
The issue came into sharper focus in March 2025 when Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud reportedly wrote to US President Donald Trump offering Washington exclusive control of strategic ports and airfields, including Berbera.
The offer drew controversy because the federal government in Mogadishu does not control Berbera, which Somaliland has administered for more than three decades.
Djibouti stronghold
There is also a practical question.
The United States already maintains a major military presence in neighbouring Djibouti.
Camp Lemonnier remains the only permanent US military base in Africa and hosts more than 4,000 American personnel.
From there, the US military supports counterterrorism missions, drone operations and wider security activity focused on Somalia, Yemen and the Red Sea.
Even if the worsening maritime crisis creates a case for broader access agreements across the region, analysts say it weakens the case for building an entirely new and politically sensitive base in Somaliland.
For now, Washington is sticking to a cautious line.
While it is willing to engage Somaliland on security matters, as Anderson’s visit showed, it is publicly drawing a distinction between strategic interest and political endorsement.
Berbera has clearly regained strategic relevance.
But in the middle of a widening Red Sea crisis, Washington has not decided to establish a new military base there.
