Mogadishu (Somalia Today) — Somalia’s government on Sunday confirmed an “unlawful breach” of its new e-visa system. The Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA) said the “attempt was immediately identified and swiftly prevented.”
The statement, however, follows days of urgent warnings from the United States and the United Kingdom. Both nations alerted their citizens to a major data leak. That leak reportedly exposed the personal information of at least 35,000 travelers.
In its press statement on November 16, the ICA confirmed it detected an “unlawful breach targeting parts of the data of individuals travelling to Somalia.” The agency said, “The Government of Somalia is treating this matter with the highest level of seriousness.”
The government has tasked a “national-level investigation team” with “determining the scope of the attempt, its source, and its overall impact,” the statement said. The ICA added that it will release a “comprehensive report” “once the inquiry is formally concluded.”
The agency also offered a direct apology. “The ICA deeply regrets this incident and reaffirms that protecting personal data is a fundamental responsibility,” it said.
As a next step, the ICA stated it is “enhancing modern data-protection standards and multi-layer authentication measures (multi-factor authentication) across all its digital services.”
US and UK warnings
The Somali government’s response came three days after the US Embassy in Mogadishu issued its own alert. On November 13, the embassy cited “credible allegations” of a hack.
The US warning stated that the breach occurred on or around November 11. It exposed a frightening amount of personal data. This included “visa applicants’ names, photos, dates and places of birth, email addresses, marital status, and home addresses.”
The United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) issued a similar warning on November 14. US officials warned that the breach may affect anyone who applied for a Somali e-visa.
A hacker group calling itself “Operation Birjeex 2025” claimed responsibility. In an online post, the group framed the hack as a protest against the federal government. They called the e-visa system a “corrupt scheme to strangle Somaliland.”
A private contractor ran the e-visa system, which only launched on September 1, sources told Somalia Today.Â
Abdullahi Mataan, a political analyst in Mogadishu, called the incident a “huge embarrassment” for the federal government. He argued the government should have confirmed the system’s security before its launch.
“For the data to come out and a breach to happen, just two months after the e-visa was launched, is an embarrassing thing for the government,” Mataan said. “It must provide an urgent answer.”
The ICA’s statement said all individuals “who may have been affected” will be notified directly.
E-Visa at center of dispute
The data breach adds a new layer of crisis to the e-visa system. It already stands at the center of a political standoff between Mogadishu and Somaliland.
Somaliland, which operates as a de facto independent state, rejected the federal e-visa system from its start.
The dispute has escalated in recent weeks, causing confusion among international airlines. On October 31, the Somali Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) ordered airlines to stop boarding passengers for Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, without a federal e-visa.
In response, Somaliland’s Ministry of Aviation issued its own decree. It declared that as of November 10, all aircraft must get a separate “Overflight Permit” from Hargeisa to enter its airspace.
Somaliland’s foreign minister even warned that the e-visa data could fall “into the hands of extremist groups.”
This tension over borders and airspace is not new. After Somalia’s central government collapsed in 1991, the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) managed the country’s airspace from Nairobi for decades.
In 2018, the ICAO transferred control back to the federal government in Mogadishu. Somaliland, which had argued for a joint-management deal, fiercely opposed the move.
Somalia introduced the e-visa system to modernize its border controls. Now, however, it is at the heart of a dual crisis. The federal government faces growing pressure from abroad to secure its digital borders. At the same time, it is struggling to enforce its authority at home.
