The United States and Somaliland have been discussing the issue of recognition, with the Trump administration expected to recognize Somaliland, the Financial Times reported.
The newspaper said that US officials have reported the start of talks on a deal in which the United States would recognize Somaliland in exchange for a military base in Berbera.
The official who briefed the Financial Times said that the United States had raised the possibility of bringing some of the Gazans to Somaliland, but that this was not a key point in the ongoing talks between the parties.
He added that Trump had not yet appointed and fully activated the head of the US Africa office, so the talks were sensitive and secretive.
Since Donald Trump took office, the US media has repeatedly reported that the US would recognize Somaliland. Somaliland has many friends in Trump’s Republican Party, and legislation to recognize Somaliland has been introduced in the US Congress several times.
The Somali government, which considers Somaliland part of its territory, has rejected efforts by members of the Republican Party to recognize Somaliland as a state, saying the move could harm cooperation between the two countries.
