Somaliland’s support for Donald Trump is less about personality than possibility. After more than three decades of governing itself without broad international recognition, Hargeisa sees Trump’s willingness to challenge diplomatic convention as a potential opening. Where traditional Western policy has remained anchored to a “One Somalia” framework centred on Mogadishu, a more disruptive and transactional approach could give Somaliland’s case a fresh hearing.

Why Trump resonates in Hargeisa.

Somaliland’s pitch fits a deal-oriented foreign policy. It can offer assets that matter: the deep-water port and airfield at Berbera, a long Gulf of Aden coastline, proximity to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and a record of cooperation against piracy, smuggling, and violent extremism. In return, it seeks direct diplomatic engagement and recognition.

That proposition also appeals to conservative policy circles that portray Somaliland as a stable, pro-Western partner. Its relationship with Taiwan adds another layer: in a region where China has a major military and economic presence in Djibouti, Somaliland presents itself as a willing counterweight to Beijing.

Berbera changes the strategic equation.

Berbera is the centrepiece of........

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