Somalia’s government has confirmedn that its electronic visa platform was hacked, potentially compromising the personal information of thousands of travellers and raising fresh concerns about the country’s digital security systems.
The Immigration and Citizenship Agency said it had launched a full investigation into the breach and relocated the e-visa service to a new website. While officials said the issue was being handled with “special importance,” they did not disclose the exact number of people affected.
The admission followed warnings from the United States and the United Kingdom, both of which said the cyberattack may have compromised data belonging to more than 35,000 applicants, including foreign nationals and American citizens.
Public attention intensified last week after social media users began circulating what they claimed were leaked visa records. The breach has cast a spotlight on Somalia’s digital infrastructure, which the government has long promoted as essential for strengthening security and modernising public services.
Mohamed Ibrahim, former telecommunications minister and a noted tech expert, criticised the government’s handling of the incident, saying authorities should have been more transparent from the outset. In a similar tone, officials from Somaliland accused Mogadishu of “institutional irresponsibility” for keeping the visa portal active even after the cyberattack was detected.
The hack comes at a sensitive moment amid renewed tensions between Somalia and the self-declared Republic of Somaliland over airspace management and border control systems. Both sides have recently issued warnings regarding travel and visa policies, further heightening diplomatic friction.
Melissa Enoch
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