LONDON: The US and UK have issued warnings to travelers after a major data breach in Somalia’s electronic visa system, with personal information from tens of thousands of applicants believed to have been exposed, the BBC reported on Saturday.
The US Embassy in Mogadishu said it had received credible reports that unidentified hackers had penetrated the Somali government’s e-visa platform, potentially compromising data from at least 35,000 people.
Documents circulating online reportedly include applicants’ names, photographs, dates of birth, marital status, home addresses and email contacts.
The UK government has also cautioned travelers that the breach is ongoing and could expose any information entered into the system, urging people to “consider the risks before applying for an e-visa required for travel to Somalia.”
Somali authorities have not commented publicly, but the government has quietly shifted its visa service from its original evisa.gov.so site to a new platform, without explanation. The incident has added fresh strain to already tense relations between Mogadishu and Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 but remains unrecognized internationally.
Under the new system, all travelers, including those heading to Somaliland and the semi-autonomous Puntland region, must apply for visas online.
Critics say the requirement has led to double-charging in some areas, inflaming long-running disputes over fees, airspace control and sovereignty.
Those tensions escalated this week when Somaliland President Abdirahman Irro rejected Somalia’s e-visa outright and ordered airlines to seek clearance from Hargeisa before entering local airspace.
Somaliland’s foreign minister warned the system was unsafe, claiming personal data could fall “into the hands of extremist groups.”
Mogadishu’s Civil Aviation Authority insisted it is the sole legal authority over the Mogadishu Flight Information Region, which covers the country’s entire airspace, and has ordered aircraft to ignore any instructions issued by Somaliland. Both sides have accused the other of creating security risks, and several passengers bound for Somaliland have been left stranded after airlines refused boarding without Somalia’s e-visa approval.
Somaliland officials say new directives took effect on Nov. 10 and claim some aircraft have already been rerouted.
Footage released by its aviation ministry appears to show local air-traffic controllers issuing instructions to international pilots — a move hailed domestically as a show of autonomy.
The BBC reported it had sought comment from Somali aviation officials, who maintain that any deviation from Mogadishu’s authority could carry serious safety and legal consequences.
