The Houthi campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which intensified through late 2024 and into 2025, has done something unexpected: it has placed Somaliland's coastline at the centre of global strategic conversations. For the first time in years, foreign policy advisers in Washington, London, and Brussels are asking serious questions about the Horn of Africa — and Somaliland has answers.

The Shipping Disruption

When the Houthis began targeting vessels transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait, major shipping companies rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope, adding thousands of miles and millions of dollars to supply chains. Insurance premiums spiked. Delivery times ballooned. The global economy absorbed a shock that underscored just how dependent it is on a narrow corridor of water.

Somaliland sits at the northern entrance to that corridor. The Port of Berbera, developed with DP World and with Ethiopian equity stakes, is strategically positioned to serve as an alternative hub — for goods, for logistics, and for naval resupply and protection operations.

Somaliland's Strategic Assets

Beyond the port, Somaliland offers something rare in the region: stability. While neighbouring Somalia continues to grapple with Al-Shabaab, and while Djibouti's single-port dependency creates bottlenecks, Somaliland's Hargeisa-based government has maintained consistent security and a functioning civil administration for over three decades.

MAAN Institute's security analysts argue that this stability is itself a strategic commodity — one that international partners should be willing to recognise, and invest in, as a public good.

The Diplomatic Window

Crises create windows. The Red Sea disruption has given Somaliland's diplomats a rare opportunity to reframe the recognition conversation — not as a post-colonial grievance, but as a live strategic question for countries that depend on secure maritime trade. MAAN Institute is actively supporting efforts to engage maritime nations on precisely this framing.

Recommendations

MAAN Institute recommends that Somaliland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs develop a dedicated maritime diplomacy strategy, positioning Berbera as a regional stability anchor and engaging directly with naval commands from NATO member states, India, and Japan — all of whom have active interests in Red Sea security.

Conclusion

The Red Sea crisis is a tragedy for global trade. But it is also, if Somaliland moves quickly and strategically, a genuine moment of opportunity. The world is paying attention to this corner of the Horn of Africa. MAAN Institute is here to ensure that Somaliland makes its case clearly, credibly, and with lasting effect.