Somaliland eyes Djibouti model of leasing out bases in bid to gain recognition

And Somaliland is offering up more than just a port now. It's president says that the breakaway territory wants to follow Djibouti's playbook using its strategic coastline to attract foreign military bases and turn the port of Berbera into a major freight hub. Now president Abdirahman Eid says that Somaliland would be open to hosting US and Israeli military facilities even as he denies either country currently has a presence there. And the proposal comes as competition for influence around the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden intensifies and could also raise the stakes in Somaliland's long-running push for international recognition. Well, joining us now to help us understand what Somaliland is hoping to gain from the strategy is Said Ibrahim, editor of the Somaliland Chronicle. So, you know, Somaliland is essentially saying here, "Look at what Djibouti has done." But how realistic is it for Berbera to become another major hub for foreign military bases and international trade? >> Well, so I mean, this is Djibouti's playbook, but I believe Somaliland in terms of sheer land mass alone, Somaliland can actually do this 10 times over. And those foreign militaries won't actually even be seeing each other unlike the case is actually in in Djibouti. Uh so, basically, the idea is, you know, Djibouti right now hosts five major military uh you know, bases including the United States and and China. Uh but at the same time, there is a massive opportunity not only for Somaliland, but for say the United States to actually shift a little bit to the east in in in in Somaliland. And the reason being at the beginning when Houthis started uh you know, attacking ships in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, Djibouti actually barred the United States from using Camp Lemonier, their military base that they actually have to support operations against the Houthis. And at the time, uh the Djibouti's uh foreign minister uh basically uh called this uh you know, a relief for the Palestinians. Basically, what he was describing uh what the Houthis were doing. So, for that reason alone, I think Somaliland is a lot more viable than Djibouti can ever be, even though they have actually perfected, and this is one of their biggest sort of GDP in terms of what they actually sell to the world. >> Right. But, of course, you know, opening the door to US and Israeli military facilities is not something that is going to be welcomed uh by certain countries in the region. Particularly, uh we know, you know, the Houthis in Yemen uh are They've been attacking Israel uh more specifically in recent months as this, you know, Middle East war rages on. So, is there concern on the part of those living in Somaliland that there could be repercussions? And, you know, what could those threats actually look like? >> There's always a concern. But, but at the same time, the concerns seem to be really amplified when it comes to Somaliland, as if, you know, the the people in Somaliland don't actually have an agency. Now, I mean, obviously, every opportunity comes with a level of risk. Uh but again, in my estimation as a just a mere reporter, I would say, you know, Djibouti doesn't have that problem. Uh Bahrain and you know, many of the other Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, that are hosting massive military uh bases for the United States, don't have these concerns. Even though, yes, they are at the receiving end of, you know, not Houthis, but uh Iranian missiles. So, I mean, every opportunity brings a level of risk, and I think the risk is baked in uh to to the ratio. So, I think we're going to be fine. >> All right. Well, you know, I think there is kind of a another major question here. Last week we spoke with Ethiopia's ambassador to Israel who said that Addis Ababa is also very interested in this Berber report as well. So, do you think that this could ultimately be used to gain recognition from Somaliland's neighbors as well? >> So, Ethiopia just stepping back a little bit. I think just before President Harrow took over, the former president and the Ethiopian Prime Minister signed a memorandum of understanding and the basic idea of it was that Ethiopia will recognize Somaliland in return for you know some kind of a naval base and you know a commercial port. Unfortunately, that deal actually fell apart. So, yes, as far as Ethiopia is concerned, country of 120 you know plus million, landlocked, and their only you know sort of choices at the moment are Djibouti or Somaliland which actually Somaliland is a lot closer. So, you know, actually one of the things that Somaliland you know has a leverage and is trying kind of sell the world to say recognize us and in return will give you all of these you know different facilities from national security to international trade is is an effective way of actually going about it you know so you know hopefully there will be takers but the the the other important thing that's actually at play here is Somaliland has actually said no to China. It's very important to note. So, even though Somaliland is actually offering you know kind of inviting the world to come open military bases, one of those notably absent will be China which again is not the case in in in in Djibouti where they actually maintain their only foreign military base. So, you know, from that point alone, I think Somaliland you know can actually take the Djibouti formula and perfect it and actually you know, contribute to the world sort of world peace in a much more efficient way. >> The final question that I want to ask, you know, from where you're sitting, who do you expect to recognize Somaliland next? >> Well, the hope was always those that, you know, not only know the realities on the ground, but they've actually invested in it and and put their sort of money where their mouth is. And that would be the United Arab Emirates. Right? Again, the Barbara Port that everybody's looking at with all of its sort of modern amenities is invested by the United Arab Emirates almost a decade before people were talking about Somaliland. So, them, you know, actually having, you know, first mover advantage, that would be the hope depending on, you know, how things are looking. So far that hasn't materialized. At the same time, Ethiopia, which, you know, almost kind of stepped onto that, you know, plate, but last minute and a kerfuffle that actually Turkey, Djibouti, and many others kind of intervened and kind of twisted the Prime Minister's arm to kind of, you know, step away from that, you know, pulling the trigger. So, I mean, there's a lot of suitors, but I really do think the Somaliland right now, you know, for decades was trying to sell the world we're peaceful, we're democratic. But now it looks like there's a shift in gears where basically we're saying, "This is what we can offer you in return." So, I think this is a much more effective foreign policy engagement than we are a democracy. Because again, what you do for yourself, nobody cares. What you can offer others, right? If you can actually have your interests kind of converge, that's a much more strategic posture. >> All right, Said. As per usual, very fascinating to have you with us. Thank you for that breakdown.