Beijing’s growing interest in Somalia is less about development corridors and more about political alignment.
Articles on Somaliland
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Israel’s recent actions are changing the Middle East by weakening state capacity and sustaining regional tensions.
Gulf states have been opportunistic players in the Horn of Africa.
Somaliland’s growing strategic relevance masks its unresolved internal divisions.
Djibouti is a presidential republic with a multiparty system, but political authority is highly centralised.
Addis Ababa’s willingness to work with regional rivals in the Middle East shows its practical approach to foreign relations.
The US has been interested in Somaliland due to its strategic location on the Gulf of Aden.
The Red Sea region holds geopolitical importance and has become an arena where local and global interests play out.
The opposition’s win in Somaliland’s election could help the breakaway state cement its place as a democratic state in a volatile region.
Somaliland’s presidential election represents a critical moment in the breakaway state’s 33-year quest for independence.
The Somalia waters deals could upset the cordial relations between Ethiopia and Turkey, and put the UAE at odds with Egypt.
All states have limited security capabilities and they generally prioritise them close to home. where it matters.
The persistence of the Al-Shabaab terror group has convinced Turkey it needs to provide more active military support in Somalia.
Ethiopia has maintained strong ties with Somaliland since the 1980s when it supported a rebel movement in the breakaway region.
Somalia has demanded that a memorandum of understanding – which would see Ethiopia gain access to the Red Sea via a Somaliland port – be ripped up.
International law provides pathways for landlocked countries to access the sea but this depends almost entirely on striking deals with neighbours.
Berbera’s plans for development, including modernisation of its seaport and airport, as well as the special economic zone, all depend on availability and affordability of energy.
Whichever way the ongoing armed conflict ends, the loser will be Somaliland president Muse Bihi Abdi.
Any new wealth will create new social, economic and political tensions.
A modern port raises Puntland’s stake within the fragmented political landscape of Somalia and prevents traders from seeking alternatives.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor, Khalifa University
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Professor in Development and Conflict, Durham University
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Associate Professor of International Relations, University of Trieste
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University of Portsmouth
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Fellow, King's College London
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Professor, United States International University
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Associate Professor of International Relations of the Middle East, University of Birmingham
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Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern and African History, Augusta University
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Lecturer of International Relations and African Political Economy, University of Hargeisa
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Lecturer, London School of Economics and Political Science
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Senior Research Fellow, Horn of Africa and Southern Africa, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London
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Lecturer in International Criminology, University of Bristol
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Lead Researcher, Munster Technological University
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Senior Quantitative Researcher, University of Hargeisa
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Lecturer of English. PhD Candidate in Afrofuturism and African Studies, University of the Western Cape