President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud says Somalia is not refusing to accept its citizens from Europe but insists authorities must first verify that deportees are genuine Somali nationals, following new EU visa restrictions.
MOGADISHU (Somali Report) — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has defended Somalia’s position on accepting deported migrants from Europe, saying the government is not refusing to receive its citizens but is insisting that authorities first verify the identity and nationality of individuals being returned.
His remarks come after the Council of the European Union announced new temporary visa restrictions on Somali nationals, citing what it described as insufficient cooperation by Somalia in readmitting citizens ordered to leave EU member states.
Speaking about the dispute, President Hassan Sheikh said the disagreement between Mogadishu and Brussels is not about rejecting Somali nationals but about ensuring that only genuine Somali citizens are returned to the country.
“I want to tell the European Union and the Somali people that we have never refused our own citizens. This country belongs to them, and we cannot reject them,” the president said.
He explained that Somalia’s concern centers on the process of identifying deportees, arguing that many asylum seekers from across the Horn of Africa have claimed to be Somali while applying for international protection in Europe.
“Our only question is how these people are being returned. Anyone who resembles us or comes from the Horn of Africa may have claimed to be Somali in order to obtain asylum,” Hassan Sheikh said.
The president noted that Somalia has previously received deportees who were identified by European authorities as Somali nationals but were later found not to be Somali after arriving in the country.
“We have experience with people who were returned as Somalis, only for us to discover that they were not Somali, did not speak the Somali language, and were not citizens of Somalia,” he said.
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Hassan Sheikh stressed that Somalia remains willing to receive citizens who have lost the legal right to remain in Europe, but said the government cannot accept the return of foreign nationals falsely identified as Somali.
His comments followed Thursday’s decision by the European Union to tighten visa rules for Somali citizens. Under the new measures, Somali applicants are no longer eligible for multiple-entry Schengen visas, while processing times for short-stay visa applications have increased from 15 to 45 days.
The EU has also suspended simplified documentation procedures for Somali applicants and reinstated visa fees for holders of Somali diplomatic and service passports.
According to the Council of the European Union, the restrictions are intended to encourage Somalia to improve cooperation on migrant readmission. European officials said the measures are temporary and could be lifted if Somalia demonstrates meaningful progress.
European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner said countries of origin are expected to cooperate in accepting the return of their nationals, warning that failure to do so could have consequences.
The new restrictions are expected to affect Somali business travelers, students, families visiting relatives, and government officials seeking short-term travel to Europe. While the measures do not amount to a visa ban, they make the Schengen application process longer, more expensive, and more demanding for Somali citizens.
President Hassan Sheikh’s response signals that Somalia is seeking a negotiated solution with Brussels, maintaining that the issue is not whether the country accepts its citizens, but ensuring that those being returned are genuinely nationals of the Federal Republic of Somalia.
About the Author
Mohamed Farah is a senior editor at Somali Report, based in London, covering geopolitics, trade, business, and security across the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
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