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Somaliland’s ruling Waddani Party has accused the Somali federal government of using its new electronic visa systemto discriminate against travellers from Somaliland, calling the policy politically motivated and damaging to already fragile relations between Hargeisa and Mogadishu.
Party Chairman Hirsi Ali Haji Hassan said the e-visa rollout, introduced by Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority in September, has left many Somalilanders stranded at airports abroad. “I want to tell the Somali government and those enforcing this e-visa policy, which has become an obstacle for our people, that it was designed to harm the people of Somaliland,” Hirsi said. “I saw passengers from my flight suffering because of this issue. I never thought Somali officials still held such resentment toward the people of Somaliland.”
The Somali federal government formally launched its e-visa system on September 1, 2025, requiring all foreign travelers to apply online through the portal www.evisa.gov.so. Internal Security Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag said the initiative aimed to modernize immigration, enhance financial transparency, and improve security oversight. “This modern system will make it easier for foreigners to apply for a visa from anywhere in the world,” Fartaag said at the rollout event.
However, the change has caused confusion and disruption. On October 21, dozens of Somaliland passengers were left stranded in Dubai and other foreign airports when airlines began enforcing Somalia’s visa requirement. Some were denied boarding for lacking federal permits, while others paid additional fees in Hargeisa after Somaliland authorities rejected Mogadishu-issued visas.
Somaliland’s government immediately rejected the new system. On September 9, its Ministry of Civil Aviation reaffirmed the Visa on Arrival policy at Hargeisa’s Egal International Airport, describing it as part of Somaliland’s “commitment to open travel, regional connectivity, and passenger convenience.” Civil Aviation Minister Fuad Ahmed Nuh said only documents issued by the Somaliland Immigration Authority would be considered valid for entry.
The e-visa dispute has drawn international attention. On September 16, Germany became the first country to advise its citizens to follow Somaliland’s entry procedures rather than Somalia’s federal system, a move interpreted in Mogadishu as a diplomatic slight and in Hargeisa as a rare acknowledgment of Somaliland’s administrative autonomy.
Hirsi criticized Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, accusing him of breaking earlier promises not to use political or diplomatic pressure against Somaliland. “If you insist on this policy, remember that those who tried to oppress the people of Somaliland before gained nothing from it,” he said, referencing the Somali National Movement (SNM) that led Somaliland’s 1991 push for self-rule.
The controversy over visas follows another dispute over airspace management this week, after Somaliland’s Presidency Minister Khadar Hussein Abdi accused Mogadishu of using control of the country’s airspace as “political pressure” against Hargeisa. He blamed KAAH Party Chairman Mahmoud Hashi Abdi, a rival of Hirsi, for signing the 2018 deal that transferred airspace control to the federal government while serving as Somaliland’s aviation minister.
The e-visa policy now marks the latest flashpoint in a long-running sovereignty dispute between Mogadishu and Hargeisa, complicating travel, diplomacy, and regional cooperation. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but has not received international recognition. Despite multiple rounds of talks since 2012 held in London, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Djibouti, no political settlement has been reached.
