Somaliland’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Fu’aad Ahmed Nuh, has denied that Somaliland has entered into an air traffic management agreement with the government of Somalia. He refuted a statement made by the Director of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, who claimed that an agreement regarding air traffic management had been reached.
In an exclusive interview with BBC Somali, the Minister stated that no new agreement has been reached between the two sides concerning aviation matters. He noted that if such an agreement existed, Somalia’s electronic visa system would be operational within Somaliland.
“There is no truth to it; if an agreement had been reached, their visa would be valid in Somaliland—but it is not. If a traveler arrives at Hargeisa Airport with such a visa, it is cancelled, and they are issued a Somaliland visa instead,” the Minister said.
He explained that while some individuals arrive in Hargeisa holding visas issued by Somalia, these visas do not grant them entry into Somaliland. He described this situation as detrimental to international standards, reiterating that the Somali government’s systems do not function within Somaliland. The Minister stated that the Somali government is relying on an agreement reached between the two sides in 2013, which stipulated that the management of airspace should be transferred to Somali hands. However, he accused the Somali government of subsequently taking sole control of the airspace management, thereby violating the terms of the agreement.
He mentioned that a delegation from Somaliland is currently in Canada, where they intend to seek a review of that agreement and examine its impact on matters such as Somalia’s visa system. He noted that the headquarters of United Nations agencies responsible for aviation are located in Canada, and that they have filed a formal complaint regarding this issue, expressing hope for a successful outcome.
The Minister also expressed concern regarding the security of Somalia’s electronic visa system, stating that the system has previously been hacked on several occasions—a situation that could jeopardize the personal data of the people of Somaliland.
