Somaliland: We Offered the United States to Exploit Our Minerals and Establish Military Bases

SadaNews - Somaliland has expressed its readiness to grant the United States a concession to exploit its minerals and establish military bases within its territory, according to a statement made by a minister in the breakaway republic to "France Presse" on Sunday.

The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Khadr Hussein Abdi, stated, "We are ready to grant the United States exclusive rights (in the mining sector). We are also open to the idea of offering military bases to the United States."

The republic, which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991, is seeking international recognition, with Israel being the first to recognize it as a "sovereign independent state" at the end of December.

Israel recognized "Somaliland" on December 26 last year as a "sovereign independent state," and the two sides signed an agreement for mutual recognition and the establishment of full diplomatic relations, which included the exchange of ambassadors and the opening of two embassies.

According to the Minister of Energy and Mines, Somaliland contains strategic minerals, although their quantities are currently unknown due to the lack of studies on them.

The President of Somaliland, Abdurrahman Mohamed Abdullahi, had previously stated openly in recent weeks the possibility of granting Israel a concession to exploit the republic's mineral wealth.

Khadr Hussein Abdi said in an interview conducted in his office at the presidential palace, "We believe we will reach some agreement with the United States," noting that Washington has a naval base in neighboring Djibouti, which is adjacent to Somaliland.

Djibouti and Somaliland are located at the entrance to the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the busiest trade routes in the world, connecting the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal.

When asked about the possibility of granting Israel a military base on the republic's territory, the minister responded that "nothing is excluded" within the framework of a "strategic partnership between the two countries" that is set to be signed "soon" in Israel.

Analysts in the region believe that this rapprochement is a result of the breakaway republic's location opposite Yemen, where the Houthis have launched attacks on Israel following the outbreak of the war in Gaza, and in light of Israeli efforts to find a third country to host Palestinian refugees.

Somaliland had denied any intention to receive Palestinians displaced from their land or to allow an Israeli military base in exchange for Israel's recent recognition of its independence, condemning it as "baseless claims."