As President Donald Trump works to resolve the Iran peace agreement and press for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, Esmail Qaani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force, has threatened to widen the conflict to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The importance of strategic maritime chokepoints becomes ever more significant, and the United States should safeguard its commercial sea lanes by recognizing the Republic of Somaliland.
Three major maritime chokepoints command a disproportionate amount of world commerce. The Strait of Hormuz and the Malacca Strait through Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are responsible for a disproportionate amount of all global seaborne trade.
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Lesser known but equally important is the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa. This 20-mile-wide channel between Djibouti and Yemen at the base of the Red Sea is the third busiest global chokepoint, accounting for 25% of global container trade and 10% of seaborne oil trade.
IT’S TIME FOR TRUMP TO RECOGNIZE SOMALILAND
The United States has been handed a strategic opportunity for cooperation by the Republic of Somaliland and security for the Bab el-Mandeb. The main stumbling block is that the U.S. has yet to recognize Somaliland’s independence from Somalia.
A former British colony along the Gulf of Aden, Somaliland was briefly independent, then joined the former Italian colony of Somaliland to create the Republic of Somalia in 1960. In 1991, Somaliland declared its independence and remains politically detached to this day.
Somaliland’s government enjoys an elected government and a pluralistic system to this day. By comparison to its neighborhood, Somaliland is an oasis of stability and democratic governance.
Somaliland’s 6 million inhabitants enjoy a more peaceful and higher quality of living than the rest of Somalia. It is a state with its own institutions, armed forces, passport, currency, constitution, and democratically elected governments.
Successive Somaliland governments have offered attractive security arrangements to the U.S. in exchange for diplomatic recognition.
The port of Berbera, a deep-water port, has been offered to the U.S. to include a military base on the port facilities. The port facility includes one of Africa’s longest operational runways.
In November 2025, Gen. Dagvin Anderson, the head of U.S. Africa Command, visited the Berbera facilities to access its potential.
Somalia refuses to recognize Somaliland and considers it to be part of its territory. The African Union firmly rejects Somaliland’s independence, fearing that it could ignite other African secessionist movements.
China maintains a robust presence in neighboring Djibouti and vehemently opposes Somaliland’s independence. It has upgraded its relationship with Somalia, declaring a “One Somalia” policy in return for Somalia recognizing a “One China” policy.
Djibouti is a member of Beijing’s “Belt and Road” initiative and hosts China’s only overseas military base. China has also invested extensively and operates Djibouti’s ports that are configured for dual commercial and military use.
The U.S. also has an existing military presence in Djibouti, but that country is slowly becoming a sometimes-reluctant partner in the Global War on Terror.
A U.S. presence in Somaliland would also blunt Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on commercial shipping across the Gulf of Aden, as well as Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia.
In December 2025, Israel became the first United Nations member state to recognize Somaliland, with senior officials actively courting Israeli investors. Taiwan, South Africa, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates maintain varying levels of relations just shy of full diplomatic recognition.
Congress has introduced two bills to further U.S.-Somaliland relations. The Somaliland Independence Act and the Somaliland Economic Access and Opportunity Act have been introduced by Republican House members.
ISRAEL HAS RECOGNIZED SOMALILAND. WILL THE US FOLLOW?
The Somaliland Independence Act calls for U.S. recognition of the Republic of Somaliland. The Somaliland Independence and Opportunity Act requires the Treasury Department to study barriers to Somaliland’s access to the U.S. financial system.
At a time when traditional allies continue to hedge their support for the Global War on Terror, we can’t allow Chinese, Somali, or African Union insecurities or sensitivities to define our key security and commercial interests. Recognize Somaliland.
Dr. Emilio T. Gonzalez is a retired U.S. intelligence officer who has served in senior positions in the U.S. Army, on the National Security Council, and in the Department of Homeland Security.
