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KEY POINTS
- The Pact: Somaliland and Taiwan have signed a landmark maritime security pact, deepening their strategic alliance in the Horn of Africa.
- Mutual Benefit: The deal enhances Somaliland’s maritime sovereignty while providing Taiwan a key democratic and economic partner in the strategic Red Sea corridor.
- The China Angle: The partnership directly challenges China’s “debt-trap diplomacy” and its regional strategy of using Somalia to isolate both nations.
- Signal to the West: The alliance serves as a model for the U.S. and other Western powers on how to pragmatically engage Somaliland to counter regional instability.
HARGEISA, SOMALILAND – The deepening strategic partnership between Somaliland and Taiwan has been formalized through a landmark ‘Coast Guard Cooperation Agreement,’ an alliance that signals a decisive policy pivot by the current administration and cements Somaliland’s role as an indispensable security partner in the Horn of Africa. The pact not only enhances national security but moves the bilateral relationship into a new phase of operational cooperation.
The agreement marks a significant policy evolution for President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi (Cirro)’s government. It moves past the skepticism expressed during his time in opposition, when the value of the relationship was questioned, into a new phase of strategic cooperation. This deepening of ties now serves as a powerful demonstration of both nations proving their mutual value: Somaliland as a steadfast democratic partner in a critical region, and Taiwan as a capable ally that delivers tangible security benefits.
The historic agreement was signed by Commander of the Somaliland Coast Guard Admiral Ahmed Hurre Hariye and Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Director-General Chang Chung-lung during Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Bakal’s visit to Taipei—his first official trip to Taiwan since assuming office in December 2024. The visit was warmly welcomed by Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung, who said it “reflects the strength, resilience & shared values of our democratic partnership.”
The agreement itself, according to the official text, aims “to promote cooperation between the coast guard authorities of the Parties” on a range of critical security areas, building upon the formal relationship established when both nations opened mutual representative offices in 2020.
Alliance Anchored in Shared Values and Strategic Gain
The benefits for both nations are substantial. For Somaliland, the pact delivers an immediate and tangible boost to national security. Cooperation on maritime law enforcement and anti-piracy measures will empower the Coast Guard to better protect the nation’s 850-kilometer coastline, safeguarding sovereignty and its burgeoning blue economy.
For Taiwan, the alliance serves as a cornerstone of its global strategy. The agreement gives Taipei a reliable democratic partner situated at the strategic chokepoint of the Bab al-Mandab strait, through which approximately 12% of global trade passes. This positioning provides Taiwan with enhanced influence in one of the world’s most critical maritime corridors.
The strategic calculus for Taipei also extends deep into the economic sphere, positioning Somaliland as a vital beachhead for Taiwanese commercial expansion into Africa. This partnership grants Taiwan a significant first-mover advantage, allowing it to establish a friendly and reliable gateway into the continent’s rapidly growing markets. Through Somaliland’s stability and its strategic Port of Berbera, Taiwanese enterprises can pilot resilient supply chains and investment models for the Horn of Africa. This approach stands in stark contrast to the ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ model employed by Beijing across the continent. Monuments to that strategy’s failures are numerous, from Kenya’s costly Standard Gauge Railway, which has struggled with crushing debt and questionable economic returns, to the cautionary tale of Sri Lanka’s Hambantota Port. Taiwan’s model, by focusing on building genuine local capacity and sustainable commerce, presents a partnership designed to empower, not indebt.
A New Model: From Project Partner to Strategic Ally
This direct state-to-state agreement marks a significant strategic diversification for Somaliland. Historically, the Coast Guard has received support from international missions like EUCAP Somalia. However, engagement with such “Somalia-centric” entities—often focused on administrative workshops rather than operational capability building—has long been a point of political friction, seen by many as inadvertently diluting Somaliland’s case for independence.
The Taiwan agreement operates on a fundamentally different plane, building sovereign capability through a partnership of equals. It focuses on operational cooperation, intelligence sharing, and technology transfer—the hallmarks of a genuine state-to-state partnership. This shift reflects broader changes in Somaliland’s diplomatic strategy, diversifying beyond traditional partners who are constrained by recognition politics.
Challenging Beijing’s Red Sea Ambitions
This agreement arrives at a pivotal moment, directly challenging China’s growing influence in the Horn of Africa. Beijing has systematically leveraged its relationship with Somalia to pressure both Somaliland and Taiwan, most notably through Mogadishu’s recent ban on Taiwanese passport holders in April 2025.
The Taiwan-Somaliland coast guard agreement represents a direct counter to this strategy. By deepening practical cooperation between two democratic entities that Beijing seeks to isolate, the pact signals that China’s pressure tactics may be backfiring. More significantly, it establishes a precedent for other partners to accelerate their own bilateral engagement with Somaliland.
Opening Doors for Western Partners
The timing is particularly significant given the growing US-China competition in the Red Sea corridor. This Taiwan partnership essentially provides diplomatic cover for other democratic allies to deepen ties with Hargeisa. This is particularly relevant for the United States, which has shown significant interest in partnering with Somaliland, evidenced by high-level congressional visits and discussions within the Pentagon. Washington is most likely paying close attention to this development, viewing it as a test case for how a robust partnership can flourish and serve as a bulwark against Chinese influence in the absence of formal diplomatic recognition. If Beijing responds aggressively, it may inadvertently demonstrate to Washington and European capitals that engaging Somaliland is not only strategically valuable but also an effective way to counter Chinese influence.
The Next Frontier: A Question for the Skies?
With the maritime domain now on a path to being secured, a crucial question arises for the partnership’s future: what is the next frontier? For a nation hampered by Somalia’s control over its airspace, attention may naturally turn to the skies. The potential for a future agreement focused on Air Traffic Control is significant, leveraging Taiwan’s world-class aviation expertise to help Somaliland develop autonomous management of its Flight Information Region (FIR)—a monumental step in affirming practical statehood.
As Somaliland secures its seas, the foundation is being laid for a comprehensive alliance that could reshape both nations’ strategic positions. This pact proves that in the modern world, practical cooperation and shared values often matter more than formal recognition.
