US signs deal to build bases for Somalia's Danab force

On 15 February 2024, the United States and Somalia's government signed a security pact in Mogadishu that included a memorandum of understanding for the construction of five military bases for Somalia's National Army, according to a report published that day by Wardheer News.

Wardheer News, citing Voice of America, said the signing was attended by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Chargé d'Affaires to the U.S. Embassy Shane Dixon, Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur and President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, who presided over the ceremony.

According to a statement from Somalia's National News Agency (SONNA), the bases will be for the Danab Brigade, the U.S.-trained elite unit of the army. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Molly Phee said a 2017 target of 3,000 Danab personnel is expected to be reached within several months, and that the Danab is already taking on greater responsibility for recruiting and training.

Phee said the shared goal is for the Somali National Army to exercise full control over base operations when the facilities are completed, and that the MoU provides the blueprint. She described the memorandum as reflecting confidence in the future of the Danab and the scale of U.S. investment in Somalia's security.

What the report does not establish is equally significant for contractors and analysts. Wardheer News gave no primary MoU text, no contract terms, no budget or investment value, no specific locations, no construction timeline, and no contractor or implementing agency. The report does not state that construction of the five bases has begun, and it does not say any base is operational or completed.

The signing came amid regional tensions. Wardheer News reported that a January 1 deal between Somaliland and Ethiopia would grant Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea in return for possible recognition of breakaway Somaliland. Somalia's federal government criticized the deal, saying it would infringe on the country's territory, the report said.

The article also noted that Turkey's and Somalia's defense ministers signed a defense and economic cooperation agreement the previous week, without specifying a date or terms. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey has defense agreements with Libya, Somalia and Sudan, and that Ankara stands for maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of these countries, according to Wardheer News citing VOA.

In January, after news broke of the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi said, "Egypt will not allow any threat to Somalia," the report said.