Op-Ed: Urgent Appeal to ICAO and IATA on Somalia’s e-Visa Data Breach and Rising Airspace Safety Risks

Subject: Urgent action required regarding Somalia’s e-Visa data breach and escalating airspace risks

Your Excellency,

As a Somaliland citizen with European citizenship who travels frequently to Hargeisa, I write out of deep concern for my own safety and that of thousands of civilians who regularly fly to Somaliland. Families returning home, business travellers supporting the region’s economy, humanitarian workers, and ordinary passengers simply transiting over Somaliland’s airspace are now facing avoidable risks and uncertainty. What should be routine travel—to visit family, conduct business, or fly safely over the region—has become increasingly disrupted by policies and systems that threaten data security, civil aviation safety, and the freedom of movement.

I am writing to raise urgent concerns regarding Somalia’s newly introduced electronic visa (e-visa) system and the rapidly escalating airspace dispute involving Somalia and Somaliland. I fully recognise that there are political and sovereignty questions in the background; however, the immediate issue is that sensitive data and civil aviation procedures are being handled in a way that creates serious danger to travellers and airlines even before any political dispute is resolved. The current use of a compromised e-visa system and contested airspace control now poses significant risks to international aviation safety, the security of travellers’ data, and overall regional stability.

My appeal is therefore not about choosing sides in a political dispute, but about addressing clear and present aviation safety, data-security, and civilian-protection risks that fall squarely within ICAO’s and IATA’s mandates.

1. Somalia’s e-visa data breach

On 13 November 2025, the U.S. Embassy in Somalia issued a security alert confirming credible reports that Somalia’s e-visa platform had been breached, potentially exposing the personal data of at least 35,000 applicants, including passport details and other sensitive information. Despite this, the Federal Government of Somalia continues to require travellers—including those heading to Somaliland—to use this e-visa system.

This presents serious risks of:

– Exploitation by extremist groups such as Al-Shabaab

– Identity theft and targeted profiling of diaspora and business travellers

– Forced submission of personal data into a system already subject to a serious security breach

– A compromised platform cannot be mandated for international travel under any circumstances.

2. Conflicting visa systems

Somaliland has declared Somalia’s e-visa “legally null” and continues to operate its own independent immigration system, including visa-on-arrival at its airports. This contradiction creates:

– Conflicting legal requirements for entry

– Boarding and clearance challenges for airlines

– Confusion for passengers, travel agents, and aviation authorities

Such inconsistency undermines global aviation and mobility standards and places airlines and passengers in an impossible position.

3. Airspace dispute and rising aviation risks

Somaliland has asserted full control over its airspace and now requires overflight permits, with a growing number of flights complying. This has created:

– Overlapping and conflicting airspace authorities

– Contradictory NOTAMs

– Increased risk of miscommunication between pilots and controllers

– Potential for routing errors or aviation incidents

Whatever the eventual political settlement, civilian airspace must remain neutral and managed solely on technical and safety grounds. Allowing unresolved political disputes to dictate operational control of busy air corridors is inherently dangerous.

4. Human and economic impact

The disruption is already affecting:

– Diaspora communities concerned about data exposure and personal safety

– Business and investment activities requiring stable travel channels

– Humanitarian operations reliant on predictable access and flight routes

– Airlines navigating uncertain and contested airspace conditions

What began as an administrative and political dispute is now becoming a full regional mobility and safety crisis.

5. Governance, trust, and neutrality concerns

The confirmed data breach severely undermines trust in Somalia’s capability to safeguard sensitive information or manage aviation frameworks neutrally and reliably. Somaliland—historically stable and peaceful—is now drawn into a confrontation with direct implications for international civil aviation and regional security.

In this context, leaving data security and airspace management solely to national political processes, without neutral international oversight, is no longer tenable from a safety and risk-management perspective.

6. Requested actions

I respectfully request urgent intervention from ICAO, IATA, and relevant international bodies:

– An independent forensic review of Somalia’s e-visa data breach.

– Immediate ICAO safety guidance regarding Somali/Somaliland airspace, including clear risk advisories where appropriate.

– Neutral, depoliticised airspace management, potentially under international technical supervision until a stable arrangement is agreed.

Corrections to global aviation and visa information systems, ensuring accurate guidance for Somaliland-bound travellers and airlines.

Protection of travellers’ data and rights, ensuring no passenger is required to use a system that has been subject to a serious security breach without transparent remediation and oversight.

Conclusion

The combination of a confirmed e-visa data breach, contradictory visa regimes, and escalating airspace tensions presents a serious multi-layered threat to international aviation safety, data protection, and regional stability. These are systemic and procedural risks, not abstract political questions. Immediate international action is essential to protect lives and prevent further deterioration.

Thank you for your urgent attention.