MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia has offered to renew an agreement granting the United States access to its ports and airports for military purposes, in a move seen as countering a similar proposal from Somaliland.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar Balcad said the two countries share a longstanding cooperation framework, including a 1980 agreement allowing US military access to Somali infrastructure.
“The federal government has recently offered to renew that agreement, which remains the appropriate and lawful channel for any security cooperation,” he said.
Foreign powers have been deepening military ties with Somalia, drawn by its strategic location near the Red Sea and its proximity to Yemen, where Houthi movement fighters have threatened key shipping routes.
In recent decades, US engagement in Somalia has largely focused on counter-terrorism operations targeting Al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked insurgency, as well as fighters from Islamic State.
Balcad’s remarks came a day after a senior Somaliland official said the breakaway region was prepared to offer Washington access to military bases and mineral resources as part of efforts to expand its diplomatic outreach.
Mogadishu considers Somaliland part of its sovereign territory, despite Israel becoming the first country to formally recognise it as an independent state in December.
“Somalia’s position is clear: all agreements involving Somalia’s territory, ports, airspace or natural resources must be concluded through the constitutional institutions of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” Balcad said.
He added that any claims by a regional administration asserting “exclusive rights” over mineral resources or seeking to bind external actors carry no legal validity.
