Speaking at a rally earlier this month, President Donald Trump described Somaliland as a “totally different country.” It was not a mistake. Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi had visited Washington, D.C., in September 2026. He did not meet Trump, but he met several White House aides and some of Trump’s closest Senate allies. He also gave interviews, which Trump likely read.
The case for Somaliland is compelling. It is democratic. It has rejected China, while Somalia and Djibouti embrace Beijing. Somaliland is the only country in the Horn of Africa with broad security; there has not been a terrorist attack in Somaliland since 2008. While Djibouti squeezes the United States out of its counterterror base by inviting four other countries to create stand-alone bases, including China’s first overseas naval base, the Somaliland port of Berbera and its adjacent airport provide better facilities without the caveats that Djibouti and its Chinese supporters demand.
