Wednesday October 21, 2026
Hargeisa (HOL) — Somaliland Minister of Civil Aviation and Airports Development, Fu’aad Ahmed Nuh, has denied that Somaliland reached a new agreement with Somalia’s federal government on airspace management, contradicting claims by the head of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA).
Speaking to BBC Somali on Monday, Nuh rejected remarks by SCAA Director General Ahmed Moallim Hassan that the two sides had resolved their differences over aviation arrangements.
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“There is nothing to that claim, because if an agreement had been reached, their visa system would work in Somaliland, but it does not,” Nuh said.
He said Somalia’s electronic visa system remains invalid for entry into Somaliland, arguing that the continued separation of immigration procedures demonstrates the absence of a new agreement.
According to Nuh, travellers arriving at Hargeisa airport with Somali electronic visas have those documents cancelled and must obtain Somaliland visas to enter the territory.
He said passengers could use Somalia’s electronic visa system when arranging travel to Hargeisa, but the document would not be accepted by Somaliland immigration authorities.
The minister argued that Somalia’s electronic visa arrangements do not operate within Somaliland and raised concerns about their implications for immigration procedures and administrative authority.
Nuh also revisited a 2013 agreement between Somaliland and Somalia concerning airspace management.
“The two sides had agreed to ask the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to transfer airspace management responsibilities to Hargeisa and Mogadishu under a joint administrative framework,” he added.
However, he accused Somalia’s federal government of abandoning the arrangement and taking control of airspace management unilaterally.
Nuh said a Somaliland delegation led by him was visiting Canada to raise the dispute with international aviation bodies and seek a review of existing arrangements, including issues related to Somalia’s electronic visa system.
He expressed hope that the delegation’s efforts would produce results but did not provide details about the status of any formal complaint or the international bodies involved.
The minister also questioned the security of Somalia’s electronic visa platform, alleging that it had experienced repeated breaches that could expose travellers’ personal information.
Those allegations have not been independently verified.
The dispute comes amid continuing disagreements between Mogadishu and Hargeisa over the administration of Somali airspace and immigration procedures.
Somalia’s federal government regained direct management of the country’s airspace from United Nations administration in December 2017, following decades of international oversight after the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, maintains separate immigration and administrative institutions but has not received broad international recognition.
Somalia considers Somaliland part of its sovereign territory and maintains that airspace management falls under federal authority.
The conflicting statements from aviation officials underscore the continuing disagreement between the two sides, with no publicly confirmed joint announcement establishing that a new airspace agreement has been reached.