MOGADISHU – President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has responded to the European Union’s new visa restrictions on Somali citizens, asserting that the disagreement with Brussels is not over Somalia’s willingness to take back its nationals but rather over the verification of the identity of those being returned.
The European Union announced on Thursday a series of measures affecting Somali citizens applying for Schengen visas, citing what it described as insufficient cooperation from Mogadishu on the readmission of Somali nationals residing irregularly in EU member states. The number of Somali nationals arriving irregularly in the European Union more than doubled between 2024 and 2025, prompting EU interior and justice ministers to approve new restrictive visa measures against Somalia during a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council on June 4, 2026, in Luxembourg. According to official figures presented at the meeting, the irregular arrivals from Somalia increased by over 100 percent in a single year, with many journeys facilitated by sophisticated smuggling networks operating along migration routes to Europe.
‘We Are Not Refusing Our People’
In an address to the Somali public, President Mohamud clarified that the Federal Government is not opposed to repatriating its citizens, but insists on proper procedures to confirm the nationality of those being returned.
“I want to tell the European Union and the Somali people: we have not refused our people. Our people belong to this country, and we cannot reject them,” the President said.
He stated that the government has questions about how individuals are being returned, particularly when their Somali nationality has not been clearly verified. “We only question the manner in which people are being repatriated. Anyone who shares our colour, our appearance, and comes from the Horn of Africa has adopted our name to obtain political asylum,” he added.
Concerns Over False Claims of Somali Nationality
The President cited past experiences where individuals were repatriated under the assumption they were Somali, only to arrive in the country and be found to have no connection to Somalia.
“We have experience with people who were repatriated and told they were Somali, but when they arrived, they were not Somali, they did not speak the Somali language, and they were not Somali,” he said.
“When they surrendered themselves, they claimed to be Somali. Today, we stand on one issue: we want to verify these people. Are they citizens of the Federal Republic of Somalia? That is all we are insisting on,” he added.
The President said the government wants Somali citizens who have lost their legal status in Europe to return home, but cannot accept non-Somalis being repatriated under the guise of Somali nationality.
He said the government does not wish to see Somalis suffering in Europe, but stressed that repatriation must follow a proper, legal process that distinguishes Somali citizens from others claiming Somali identity.
New EU Visa Restrictions and EU Pressure
On Thursday, the EU Council announced new measures directly affecting Somali visa applicants. The key changes include:
– Somali citizens will no longer be issued multiple-entry Schengen visas
– Documentation requirements for Somali applicants will not be eased
– Visa fee waivers for diplomatic and service passport holders have been removed
– The standard visa processing time has been extended from 15 to 45 days
The European Union Commission had previously proposed new visa restrictions for Somalia intended to encourage greater cooperation from Somalia in the readmission of its nationals who have entered and remained in the EU without proper documentation.
The EU stated that an assessment by the European Commission found that Somalia was not cooperating sufficiently on the readmission of its nationals. “Countries of origin must fulfil their obligations, otherwise there may be consequences,” said Magnus Brunner, EU Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration. “Today’s decision demonstrates a proactive and decisive approach to achieving better cooperation on readmission.”
Context: Doubling of Irregular Arrivals and Migrant Smuggling
The move against Somalia is part of broader EU pressure on countries that do not fully cooperate with repatriation efforts. According to EU officials, the number of Somali nationals arriving irregularly in the EU more than doubled between 2024 and 2025, with many journeys facilitated by sophisticated smuggling networks operating along migration routes to Europe. The ministers acknowledged that the surge in arrivals coincided with what they described as “inadequate cooperation” from Mogadishu on the readmission of Somali citizens.
Similar measures were previously imposed on Gambia and Ethiopia. The restrictions on Ethiopia, imposed in 2024, were lifted in May 2026 after Brussels determined that Addis Ababa had improved cooperation on readmission. Finland has also suspended its bilateral development cooperation programme with Somalia due to challenges in advancing readmission agreements for Somali citizens who have been denied asylum in Finland. The suspension applies only to development cooperation and not to humanitarian aid, civil society support, or private sector initiatives.
Impact on Somali Citizens
While the new measures do not constitute a total ban on Somali visa applications, they significantly tighten the application process, increasing waiting times and the documentation burden for Somali travelers. The restrictions are likely to particularly affect businesspeople, students, those visiting family, and holders of diplomatic or service passports.
President Hassan Sheikh’s response suggests that Somalia is seeking to resolve the repatriation dispute through verification mechanisms rather than a blanket refusal to accept its citizens, while the EU has indicated it will continue to assess Somalia’s progress on readmission cooperation, meaning the restrictions could be lifted if Brussels is satisfied with tangible improvements.