In recent news from April 14, 2026, the African nation of Somaliland, which controls the strategic Bab el Mandeb Strait spanning 16 miles, handles up to 14% of global shipping. Following Iran’s blockade of the Hormuz Strait, the Bab el Mandeb Strait has become a key route for Middle Eastern oil shipments to Asia and a target for Iranian proxy forces.
Somaliland, which broke away from war-torn Somalia in 1991, has maintained a pro-American stance. Recently, Somaliland proposed to the United States the establishment of American air and naval bases in Berbera.
According to Somaliland government sources, Berbera boasts significant advantages as a deep-water port connecting the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. Originally developed as an emergency landing site for NASA, Berbera is one of Africa’s longest waterways.
Berbera, situated on the northern coast of the Gulf of Aden in the Horn of Africa, serves as Somaliland’s largest seaport and the capital of Sahil region.
Fox News reported that top US military officials, including General Dagvin Anderson of the US Africa Command, recently visited Berbera.
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former UK ambassador to Yemen and a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), stated in a Fox News interview that Berbera holds substantial strategic potential for maritime and aerial operations.
Brown mentioned that while the US has a military base in Djibouti on the coast of the Red Sea, the Djibouti government has shown reluctance to support American sanctions against Houthi rebels. Somaliland, on the other hand, presents a viable alternative to assist the US, Israel, and the UAE in combating the Houthi rebels.
The focal point of current disputes is whether the US will formally recognize Somaliland. In August last year, President Trump mentioned that the matter was under consideration and being studied. However, a State Department spokesperson disclosed to Fox News last week that the US continues to recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Somali Federal Republic, including Somaliland. Israel became the first country to recognize Somaliland last year.
Amid Iran’s urging for Houthi rebels to take action in the Red Sea, Iranian Tasnim News Agency associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened on March 21 to create chaos in various straits, including the Bab el Mandeb and the Red Sea, making the situation more challenging for the US.
Baraa Shaiban, an expert on the Houthi issue at the prestigious independent defense and security think tank, the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), believes that recognizing Somaliland could strain the US’s relations with Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
A spokesperson for the US Africa Command stated to Fox News that the US currently has no plans to establish new military bases, as such actions would not align with the national security framework outlined by the President and the Secretary of Defense.
Analysts suggest that openly establishing military bases and recognizing Somaliland are sensitive issues. However, Somaliland’s proactive proposal to utilize its military base, even without formal US recognition, may not be entirely off the table. This could be why General Anderson and a group of top US military officials visited Somaliland last November, meeting with the President and inspecting the port of Berbera.
Reports of high-ranking US military officials visiting Somaliland are not uncommon. Somaliland’s top diplomat in Washington, Bashir Goth, mentioned in a recent debate at a foreign policy research institute that the strategic importance of Somaliland has increased with conflicts in the Middle East, garnering significant attention from the US military. Representatives from the US Africa Command visit the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, on a monthly basis.