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Government Residence

A major information leak in the Federal Republic of Somalia's digital visa application system could have revealed personal information pertaining to tens of thousands of applicants, including United States passport holders, the United States diplomatic mission in Mogadishu has alerted.

It said gathered reliable information that "unidentified hackers" had penetrated the Federal Government of Somalia's e-visa platform, possibly exposing data from roughly 35,000 applicants.

The exposed records distributed through digital channels include full names, images, dates of birth, marriage information, place of residence and email contacts, as stated in a United States official announcement released on last Thursday.

"This data breach is ongoing and might reveal any personal data provided to the application portal," British authorities has also warned travelers.

"Consider the risks prior to requesting a digital visa mandatory for visiting the Somali nation."

Government Response

Somali authorities have not commented on the breach. However authorities has shifted visa application system away from the original e-visa website toward the new application website, without issuing a public clarification.

"Although the US Embassy in Mogadishu lacks the capacity to validate if personal information is part of the compromise, people who have submitted applications through the electronic visa system may be affected," the American announcement said.

Territorial Consequences

The revised application procedure necessitates all travellers, incorporating applicants from the independently governed area of Somaliland and the self-governing territory of Puntland, to request admission permits online.

Critics say travellers have faced additional charges in specific areas, amounting to duplicate payments.

Political Context

The self-declared republic, which declared independence in three decades ago, governs itself through independent structures yet hasn't received worldwide acceptance. Somalia insists that the region remains part of its jurisdictional area.

The claimed security incident exacerbates persistent conflicts involving central government and northern authorities regarding authority over Somali airspace. While Somalia re-established full control of its airspace in the past decade, northern authorities continues to contest the current system.

Ongoing Conflict

The conflict escalated further in recent days after Somaliland's President Abdirahman Irro stated the northern territory would not accept Mogadishu's electronic visa and ordered that aviation companies need to acquire clearance from northern authorities before entering its airspace.

However prominent aviation companies have refused to board passengers without Somalia's e-visa approval.

In the latest development, Somaliland's Foreign Minister the foreign minister reaffirmed that "every person entering the northern territory can acquire their visa on arrival", declaring Somalia's e-visa system was not safe and cautioning that "personal information could be accessed by the hands of extremist groups" due to employing the platform.

Travel Disruptions

The impasse has caused numerous passengers destined for Somaliland stranded at airports following refusal of entry because they didn't have the federal electronic visa.

Hargeisa's air transport representative, the transport official, has stated to journalistic entities that the regulations - first announced in recent months - were implemented on November 10th.

He said carriers that refuse will be told to reroute, and asserted numerous flights had been forced to change paths.

Airspace Control Conflict

Recorded material released by the northern region's air transport department appears to show territorial flight directors giving directions to global airline crews - a development applauded locally as a confirmation of Somaliland's autonomy.

But Mogadishu's air transport department maintains it maintains exclusive regulatory authority over the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (FIR), encompassing all territorial skies. Officials have directed each flight to ignore any guidance provided by entities except Mogadishu.

Authorities alerted that ignoring Somali and international aviation rules could generate security threats and result in "significant legal repercussions".