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Somali Presidential Palace

A significant information leak in the Somali electronic visa system potentially disclosed sensitive details associated with many thousands of applicants, involving United States passport holders, the United States diplomatic mission in Mogadishu has alerted.

It said obtained trustworthy accounts that "unidentified hackers" breached the Federal Government of Somalia's electronic visa system, likely endangering data from roughly 35,000 applicants.

The leaked documents circulating online include full names, images, birth dates, relationship status, place of residence and email information, per a American diplomatic communication issued on Thursday.

"This security incident is ongoing and potentially disclose any personal data you enter into the application portal," United Kingdom officials has additionally cautioned travelers.

"Consider the risks prior to requesting an electronic visa necessary for travel to Somalia."

Government Response

Government officials have not commented on the breach. However the government has transferred visa application system from the previous platform evisa.gov.so to the new system etas.gov.so, without providing a formal statement.

"Even though American diplomatic mission in Somalia cannot verify whether an individual's data belongs to the security incident, individuals who have applied through the electronic visa system could be impacted," the official communication declared.

Regional Implications

Somalia's new system requires every visitor, incorporating applicants from the autonomous region of the breakaway region and the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, to seek admission permits through digital means.

Opponents claim travellers have faced extra fees in certain regions, equivalent to repeated fees.

Political Context

The northern territory, that announced sovereignty in three decades ago, manages its territory with its own institutions but has not been global recognition. Mogadishu authorities maintains that the region still constitutes its sovereign territory.

The alleged breach adds to long-running tensions involving Mogadishu and northern authorities over control of national air territory. While federal authorities re-established full control of national aviation space in recent years, northern authorities persistently challenges the arrangement.

Recent Escalation

The disagreement intensified this week when the northern region's leader the Somaliland president announced Somaliland would not accept Mogadishu's electronic visa and ordered that aviation companies need to acquire permission from northern authorities when approaching the region's aviation space.

Nevertheless leading carriers have chosen not to accept travelers without Mogadishu's electronic permit.

Recently, Somaliland's Foreign Minister the diplomatic representative reiterated that "anyone travelling to the northern territory can acquire travel authorization at the point of entry", stating the federal electronic visa platform was not safe and warning that "people's data might be obtained by radical elements" because of using it.

Aviation Challenges

The conflict has left some travellers destined for Hargeisa unable to board flights due to rejection at check-in for lacking Somalia's e-visa.

Hargeisa's air transport representative, the aviation minister, has informed media outlets that the directives - first announced previously - were implemented on 10 November.

He said airlines that do not comply would be instructed to divert, and stated several aircraft had already been rerouted.

Jurisdictional Battle

Footage distributed by Hargeisa's civil aviation authority reportedly displays local air-traffic controllers providing guidance to international pilots - an action applauded locally as an assertion of Somaliland's autonomy.

Nevertheless the Somalia Civil Aviation Authority maintains it maintains complete jurisdictional power regarding the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (aviation control zone), which covers all territorial skies. Authorities have instructed all aircraft to disregard any guidance issued by authorities other than Mogadishu.

It warned that ignoring Somali and international aviation rules could generate aviation dangers and lead to "serious legal consequences".