Somalia has offered the United States exclusive control of key ports and air bases, including some it does not govern.

In a March 16 letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud proposed giving the U.S. access to the Berbera and Bosaso ports and airfields, and the Baledogle air base. The letter, reported by Reuters, said these sites would support U.S. military and logistical operations in the region.

“These strategically positioned assets provide an opportunity to bolster American engagement in the region, ensuring uninterrupted military and logistical access while preventing external competitors from establishing a presence in this critical corridor,” the letter said.

Somalia made the offer despite not being in control of the sites. Berbera is under the authority of Somaliland, a self-declared independent state since 1991, while Bosaso is controlled by Puntland, which severed ties with the Somali federal government in 2023.

Mogadishu maintains that these locations are part of its sovereign territory and strongly opposes any international recognition of Somaliland or Puntland as independent entities.

Somaliland officials rejected the offer. “The USA is now ready to deal with Somaliland,” said Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Aden. He called Somalia’s leadership corrupt and said Somaliland is peaceful and democratic.

Analysts view Somalia’s proposal as an effort to reaffirm its claim over the disputed territories while securing U.S. support. “They’re offering this to strengthen their claim over Somaliland and Puntland,” Cameron Hudson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies told Semafor.

While U.S. officials have not publicly responded to the proposal, some members of the Trump administration have reportedly expressed interest in recognizing Somaliland, seeing it as a strategic location for expanding U.S. surveillance and counterterrorism operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.