Mogadishu, Somalia – Somalia has fully launched a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system on Thursday, enhancing central oversight of entries and exits while intensifying disputes with semi-autonomous regions that challenge Mogadishu’s authority on immigration matters.
This launch follows recent reports on Mogadishu’s intentions to deploy the ETA, which connects directly to airlines’ Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems. Officials indicate the system grants instant access to passengers’ names, birth dates, passport data, travel backgrounds, destinations, and visa information for all arriving flights.
The ETA further enables the federal government to deny boarding to travelers heading to Somalia without the required electronic visaa measure rejected by Somaliland and Puntland, and one that airlines such as Ethiopian Airlines and FlyDubai have sometimes neglected to apply.
Airlines under this system cannot issue boarding passes to passengers lacking the e-visa, fueling weeks of political discord. Officials in the breakaway Somaliland region have directed carriers to disregard Mogadishu’s e-visa directive and threatened to block landings for any that comply. Even so, travelers to Somaliland still encounter the federal e-visa obligation.
This confrontation has sparked worries of escalating political discord. Detractors caution that Mogadishu might abuse the ETA to bar opponents from entering or drive them into exile. The federal authorities have offered no public reply to these apprehensions.
The next moves by Somaliland and Puntland both outspoken foes of the e-visa rule in reaction to the ETA rollout remain uncertain.
