Somalia explains Taiwan Passport ban: It crossed red line

[Deeq A.]

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia and Taiwan have imposed reciprocal travel bans on each other’s citizens, Somali officials said Wednesday, in a sharp escalation of a diplomatic dispute linked to Taiwan’s expanding engagement with Somaliland—a self-declared republic in northern Somalia.

The Somali government announced the measure days before Taiwan’s foreign minister was scheduled to visit Somaliland, intensifying a standoff over sovereignty and international recognition in the Horn of Africa.

Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, Somalia’s former foreign minister who was in office when the decision was made, told the Associated Press that Taiwan’s decision to open “unauthorized offices” on Somali territory prompted the move, calling it a “blatant violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

“These offices were established without the federal government’s consent and contradict Somalia’s long-standing policy of protecting its unity and independence,“ Fiqi said. “This unacceptable action undermines diplomatic norms and state legitimacy.”

Taiwan-Somaliland relations

The travel bans mark a setback for Taiwan’s strategy to expand its African diplomatic presence. Since 2020, Taiwan has cultivated ties with Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 but remains unrecognized by any UN member state.

Despite the lack of formal recognition, Taiwan and Somaliland have exchanged representative offices and signed cooperation agreements in health, education, and infrastructure areas. These moves have angered Mogadishu, which views them as an affront to Somali sovereignty.

Somaliland’s foreign minister, Abdirahman Dahir Adan, condemned the Somali government’s decision, calling it “regrettable“ and “dangerous.“ Speaking to The New York Times by phone, Addan added, “Airspace and travel controls should not be used as political weapons.”

A senior Somaliland official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, confirmed that the travel ban was imposed just five days ahead of Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung’s anticipated visit to Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital.

The now-postponed trip to Somaliland was part of Minister Lin’s broader tour of Africa, which last week included a visit to Eswatini—the only African nation that officially recognizes Taiwan.

The Somali government reportedly viewed the planned visit to Somaliland as a provocative act that could strengthen the region’s push for international recognition. Sources familiar with the matter told Caasimada Online that Somalia considered the timing of the visit “strategic and politically sensitive.”

Beijing, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any form of official engagement with it, has consistently pressured governments around the world to isolate the island diplomatically. Somalia maintains a “One China“ policy and does not recognize Taiwan as an independent state.

Wider regional implications

This is not Somalia’s first time using travel restrictions to assert its territorial claims. In 2024, the federal government denied entry to an Ethiopian delegation amid growing tensions over a controversial port agreement between Ethiopia and Somaliland.

That deal, signed in January 2024, granted Ethiopia access to the Red Sea via Somaliland’s Berbera Port. Mogadishu condemned the agreement as a breach of Somalia’s sovereignty, further straining relations with Addis Ababa.

While Somaliland operates with its own institutions and government, Somalia continues to assert its authority over the region and rejects any international recognition of its independence.