Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Irro, is pitching his breakaway republic as a security partner for the Red Sea, offering foreign powers military bases at the port of Berbera, including Israel. Speaking with The Economist, Irro expressed hope the move, alongside a planned meeting with Donald Trump, will help secure broader international recognition for Somaliland, following Israel's landmark recognition last year.
A former diplomat turned head of state, Irro took Somaliland's top office in December 2024. His country broke away from Somalia in 1991 but has waited decades for the world to notice. Last year brought a breakthrough: Israel became the first nation to formally recognize Somaliland, with Irro at the helm. "The world has been ignoring Somaliland for 35 years," he told The Economist, making clear he intends to change that.
Yemen's Houthi militia, backed by Iran, has thrown Red Sea shipping into turmoil. Speaking during a Nairobi visit this month, Irro offered a remedy: coastal bases for global militaries, hosted by Somaliland, to help secure the waterway. His ambitions don't stop there. Once shipping stabilizes, he wants Berbera – Somaliland's flagship port – anchoring commerce across the Horn of Africa. "Our message is that we are a responsible partner" in security and trade, Irro told The Economist.
Somaliland's blueprint is Djibouti's economy. Roughly $125 million reaches Djibouti's coffers each year, paid by foreign militaries – the US, China and France included – for basing rights along its coast. Ethiopia, with no coastline of its own, pays an even larger sum in port fees, since it funnels most of its trade through Djibouti.
Irro is chasing that same dual payoff. Ethiopia is target one: he's lobbying Addis Ababa to reroute its trade toward Berbera, a port recently modernized with a new UAE-built harbor. A US military base is target two – one that would give Washington added flexibility should it revive strikes against the Houthis, whom American forces already hit hard last year, per The Economist.
Many believe Israel's recognition of Somaliland already carried a hidden clause: access to military infrastructure near Berbera. Unverified foreign media reports go further still, suggesting a covert American-Israeli buildup underway there, quietly aided by the UAE. Irro rejects the claim outright. "There is no Israeli or American presence yet," he insisted. A near-identical situation exists at Bosaso, a port in the neighboring semi-autonomous province of Puntland – the UAE operates openly there, while Israel's presence remains unconfirmed rumor.
With rival powers increasingly competing over Red Sea military footholds, Irro says he would extend base access at Berbera to both Israel and the US "if they are interested." A Washington trip looms next month, with a hoped-for Trump meeting that would mark a first: No Somaliland leader has ever met an American president face-to-face. Irro is confident recognition will follow – "We expect the recognition of the United States some time in the future," he told The Economist – and he's banking on at least one more nation joining in "before the end of the year."
Not everyone welcomes Irro's rise. Djibouti, wary of the competition on its doorstep, is accused by Irro of trying to "destabilize" Somaliland, likely by arming hostile border militias. Somalia's hostility runs even hotter, since it still labels its northern neighbor a renegade province; Irro says Mogadishu is massing troops along their shared frontier. "This is not a peace recipe," he warned.
A cooling Israel-Turkey relationship complicates things further, given Turkey's long patronage of Somalia, The Economist reports. Ankara has hosted round after round of talks aimed at reconciling Somalia and Somaliland, none of which have succeeded. Irro, seemingly untroubled by talk of proxy conflict, jokes about a change of venue: "Next time they can happen in Tel Aviv." For its part, Washington may be wary of stoking more controversy by extending recognition.
Threats already hang over any Israeli base Somaliland might host, with the Houthis vowing retaliation; an American base would likely invite the same danger. That threat undercuts the very reputation for calm and stability that has underpinned Somaliland's international pitch. Yet Irro remains philosophical. "There is nothing free in the world," he says. Just how steep a price he's willing to pay is still an open question.
