As tensions between the US and China continue to aggravate, an American scholar; in an article published two days ago on a news website; has made a call for the establishment of a US Navy port in Somaliland.
The scholar Michael Rubin points out that it is not enough for the US to praise Somaliland-Taiwan’s July 1st decision to exchange diplomatic ties with Somaliland without taking physical actions to protect its interests in the Horn of Africa; since it is in this region that China could effect the most damage against the US strategic posture.
Following the 11 September 2011 terrorist attack, the US had established Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti. The camp has played a vital role in counterterrorism action in Somaliland and elsewhere in Africa, has been utilised for drone operations in Yemen, and also served as a major logical hub for the US Navy.
However, China and Djibouti reached an agreement in January 2016 to establish a Chinese Liberation Army support base a few miles from the American Navy camp in Lemonier. There have been cases of Chinese personnel firing lasers at US pilots in an attempt to blind them after they began operations 18 months later.
Meanwhile, China continues to increase its influence in the country. The situation at present is that debt to China now accounts for 71% of Djibouti gross domestic product according to the Djiboutian Foreign Affairs Minister. The implication of this is that the American Navy could be sent packing by China at any slight opportunity.
The strategic location of Somaliland makes it an important asset to any defense of the Bab el-Mandab and the Red Sea, as well as counterpiracy and counterterrorism operations interdiction of weapons smuggling. Berbera, its main port city, is not only a modern, deep-water facility, but it is also just a short drive from an airport used during the Cold War as the US logistical hub and base for the Rapid Deployment Force. Also, US planes approaching Berbera would not be at the mercy of Djiboutian air traffic control whose oversight US pilots say has led to several near-misses.
While the US Department’s Africa Bureau adopts a diplomatic approach in countering Chinese strides in Africa, China has continued to progress aggressively in asserting her presence. And following the Somaliland-Taiwan deal, China and Somalia have allegedly reached a secret agreement to permit joint patrols in Somaliland’s waters. The implication of this is that China will now patrol across the entire Gulf of Aden thereby intimidating Somaliland and try to deny the US any alternative position in the Horn of Africa.
Michael Rubin insists that the US should as a matter of urgency establish relations with Somaliland just as it maintains relations with Taiwan, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Syrian Kurdistan, and consider making port calls in Berbera.
He explains that a naval port in Berbera would ensure that the US Defence Department has a Plan B for the day when it can no longer rely on Djibouti. It would also show that authorities in Berbera had both the equipment and interoperability to enable a US ship to dock, and show that the United States was serious about the need to compete with China.
