Somali Presidential Palace
A substantial information leak in Somalia's e-visa platform could have revealed personal information belonging to tens of thousands of individuals, involving American nationals, the US embassy in Somalia has alerted.
The embassy reported gathered trustworthy accounts that "anonymous digital intruders" breached the Somali government's e-visa platform, likely endangering data from approximately 35,000 individuals.
The leaked documents circulating online contain full names, photographs, birth dates, relationship status, home addresses and email contacts, per a US embassy statement published on Thursday.
"This information compromise continues to occur and could expose any sensitive details submitted to the system," British authorities has also warned travelers.
"Evaluate the dangers before applying for an e-visa necessary for visiting the Somali nation."
Administrative Action
Somali authorities have not issued statements regarding the incident. However authorities has shifted visa processing from the original e-visa website to etas.gov.so, without issuing an official explanation.
"While Embassy Mogadishu is unable to confirm whether applicant details belongs to the compromise, people who have submitted applications via the digital application platform might be compromised," the American announcement stated.
Regional Implications
The updated visa process requires all travellers, incorporating applicants from the independently governed area of the northern territory and the partially independent area of Puntland, to request travel visas via electronic platforms.
Commentators state travellers have faced extra fees in certain regions, amounting to repeated fees.
Geopolitical Background
Somaliland, that proclaimed statehood in 1991, administers its affairs through independent structures although it lacks worldwide acceptance. The Federal Government maintains that the region remains part of its national domain.
The reported compromise adds to ongoing disputes involving central government and Hargeisa concerning jurisdiction of national air territory. Although Somalia restored full control of national aviation space in the past decade, northern authorities regularly disputes the arrangement.
Recent Escalation
The disagreement escalated further this week as the northern region's leader the Somaliland president said the northern territory would reject the federal e-visa system and ordered that carriers must obtain clearance from Somaliland officials prior to accessing their territorial skies.
However prominent aviation companies have chosen not to accept travelers absent federal visa authorization.
On Saturday, Hargeisa's international relations official Abdirahman Dahir Aadan reaffirmed that "every person entering Somaliland can acquire their visa on arrival", declaring Somalia's e-visa system was not safe and warning that "individual details can fall into extremist organizations" due to using it.
Aviation Challenges
The stand-off has caused numerous passengers destined for the northern region stranded at airports after being denied boarding because they didn't have the federal electronic visa.
The northern region's aviation official, the aviation minister, has informed news organizations that the directives - initially declared in recent months - became operational on 10 November.
Officials declared carriers that refuse would be instructed to change course, and claimed numerous flights had already been rerouted.
Airspace Control Conflict
Footage distributed by Somaliland's aviation ministry appears to show regional aviation officials issuing instructions to foreign aircraft commanders - a development hailed internally as an assertion of the region's independence.
But Mogadishu's air transport department maintains it maintains sole administrative and legal control regarding the national airspace information zone (FIR), encompassing the whole nation's airspace. Officials have directed each flight to ignore any instructions provided by entities except Mogadishu.
It warned that failing to comply with federal and global flight regulations could create safety risks and cause "significant legal repercussions".
