bases, a senior minister says, as the breakaway Somali region pursues international recognition. “We are willing to give exclusive (access to our minerals) to the United States. Also, we are open to offer military bases to the United States,” Khadar Hussein Abdi, minister of the presidency, told the AFP news agency in an interview. “We believe that we will agree on something with the United States.” Israel became the only country in the world to recognise Somaliland’s independence in December, something the territory has been seeking since declaring its autonomy from Somalia in 1991. The region seceded from Somalia during a civil war that followed the more than two-decade hardline rule of President Siad Barre, whose forces devastated the north.

While large parts of Somalia descended into chaos, Somaliland stabilised by the late 1990s. The US has yet to signal a major shift on the question of Somaliland. But in August, US President Donald Trump, who had previously lobbed insults at Somalia and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, suggested he was preparing to move on the issue when asked about Somaliland during a White House news conference. Somalia has denounced Israel’s recognition as an attack on its territorial integrity and unity, a position backed by most African and Arab leaders, and has urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw the recognition.

But Somaliland’s leader, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, known as Cirro, has welcomed Israel’s diplomatic move, praising Netanyahu for his “leadership and commitment to promoting stability and peace” in the region. Cirro in recent weeks had already suggested granting Israel privileged access to its mineral resources. Meanwhile, Hussein Abdi said he could not rule out the possibility of also allowing Israel to set up a military presence. Somaliland lies across the Gulf of Aden from Yemen, where Houthi rebels have often attacked Israeli assets to show solidarity with Palestinians. Somaliland officials have said their natural resources include lithium, coltan and other sought-after materials although independent studies are lacking. (Al Jazeera/AFP)