Bashir Goth said Somaliland would automatically join the Abraham Accords if the United States recognizes the territory, a pitch he made as support for the breakaway region gathers pace in Washington. Goth, who has represented the Republic of Somaliland in the United States since 2018, told a Foreign Policy Research Institute debate that the latest opening came after Israel recognized Somaliland in December 2025.
There has been a lot of excitement in Washington, Goth said, adding that Israeli officials visited Hargeisa last month and that Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi is preparing for a first-ever trip to Jerusalem. It was very welcome news to all of those people who support and advocate for Somaliland, he said.
Goth’s argument is straightforward: recognition would pull Somaliland more tightly into a regional security and diplomatic framework that already matters to Washington. He said joining the Abraham Accords would lock in joint efforts against adversarial influence in a region where one-third of global shipping passes through chokepoints Somaliland helps secure. He also said there is very good support from Congress and that a recent bill would expand financial access for Somaliland.
That push is landing at a moment when President Trump is considering shifting U.S. troops away from alliances and bases that deliver limited returns toward places with clearer strategic advantages. Somaliland is presenting itself as one of those places. Goth described it as a stable, self-funded democracy in the Gulf of Aden, with functioning institutions and a modernized Port of Berbera built through private investment.
The tension is that Washington is weighing not just symbolism but hard security demands. Goth said a key concern inside the administration is counterterrorism cooperation, and he said U.S. military engagement has already increased, with AFRICOM delegations arriving in Hargeisa every month. Recognition, he argued, would do more than validate Somaliland’s long-running autonomy claim; it would open access to financial institutions and deepen a partnership he says already has momentum.
Goth said Somaliland currently runs on local revenue and could offer the United States exclusive rights to critical minerals, along with access at Berbera. “The port at Berbera would be all for the United States,” he said. He also cast Somaliland as a rare regional partner against Beijing, saying, “Somaliland is the only country in the Horn of Africa that is countering Chinese influence. We are the second country in Africa that has relations with Taiwan.” For Washington, the question now is whether that blend of geography, security and diplomatic alignment is enough to turn a growing conversation into formal recognition.
