America’s path to rare earth security and strategic independence runs through an unlikely but willing partner: Somaliland.
The United States is dangerously dependent on China for the critical minerals that power everything from smartphones to missiles. Beijing controls over 85% of global rare earth processing and dominates cobalt, lithium, and other battery metals supply chains. This isn’t just economic imbalance — it’s a national security liability.
But an unexpected opportunity has emerged: Somaliland, a stable, self-governing democracy in the Horn of Africa, is sitting atop a wealth of untapped minerals — and it’s ready to partner with the U.S.
Recent discoveries suggest Somaliland holds significant reserves of lithium, rare earth elements, cobalt, and copper. A Saudi company, Kilomass, has already signed a lithium exploration deal. Taiwan, a U.S. ally, has inked a mining cooperation agreement. And U.S. officials — including Congressman Chris Smith — have publicly called for strategic engagement.
The minerals are there. The momentum is building. What’s missing? American action.
Somaliland offers what few other African nations can: stability, pro-Western alignment, and freedom from Chinese influence. It has no Belt and Road entanglements, no Chinese-funded infrastructure, and no ties to Beijing — thanks in part to its deepening friendship with Taiwan.
Its port city of Berbera, now expanded with UAE investment, provides direct shipping routes to Europe, Asia, and the U.S. With a modern road corridor and a massive free trade zone underway, Somaliland is positioned to become a new minerals hub — if the right partners step in.
Washington must act decisively to seize this opportunity. Here’s how:
Deploy the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to provide political risk insurance and early-stage project financing.
Activate the Export-Import Bank (EXIM) to support U.S. companies supplying mining equipment and services.
Leverage the Department of Defense to secure rare earth offtake agreements and strategic stockpiles from Somaliland.
Launch a formal U.S.–Somaliland Critical Minerals Memorandum of Understanding, including joint surveys, capacity-building, and market guarantees.
The benefits are mutual. For Somaliland, such a partnership brings jobs, development, and global legitimacy. For the U.S., it brings secure access to the minerals needed for batteries, chips, weapons, and renewable energy.
More importantly, it sends a global message: The U.S. builds alliances through partnership — not exploitation.
China already knows what’s at stake. It has tried to outflank Somaliland diplomatically and economically, even reportedly stoking instability to deter investment. But Somaliland is resisting. What it needs now is for America to show up.
This isn’t about foreign aid. It’s about strategic self-interest. A single rare earth project in Somaliland could reduce U.S. reliance on Chinese exports by 5–10%. A lithium deal could feed the American battery sector for a decade. That’s the kind of leverage we can’t afford to ignore.
The Pentagon, the Department of Energy, and forward-thinking investors should be planning site visits to Somaliland now. And Congress should give the DFC and EXIM the flexibility they need to back projects in politically sensitive but friendly jurisdictions like this one.
The full details — from security assessments to recommended steps for cooperation — are outlined in a recent waryatv.com report titled “The Horn Fortress: Inside Somaliland’s New Military Empire.” It’s not just about defense anymore — it’s about minerals, money, and strategic survival.
Somaliland is ready. The U.S. must decide: will it lead, or let China win by default?
https://www.waryatv.com/2025/04/20/breaking-chinas-grip-a-new-u-s-somaliland-mining-partnership/
