EU wants Somalia with visa bans as president pulls back | Immigration Issues

The president says that his country will also count the real citizens but insists that Europe has to verify those who have been deported.

Mogadishu, Somalia The European Union has imposed restrictions on Somali citizens, deepening the conflict with the city of Mogadishu over the return of Somalis living illegally in Europe.

The member states agreed to this on Thursday, following a report that Somalia is not doing enough to repatriate citizens who have been denied residency.

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Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud pushed back, saying his government would readmit its citizens, but said most of the returnees were not Somali citizens.

“We have not rejected our people; they are the owners of this country.” And we cannot reject them,” the president said on Thursday at the Independence Day ceremony, adding that Somalia had “questions about how these people will be returned.”

People in the Horn of Africa region have similar characteristics, he said, with some posing as Somalis to seek asylum in Europe. He cited previous cases where people who were returned as Somalis were found not to be, including some who “didn’t know the Somali language.”

“If they are Somali, then we will take them, if they are not, we will help you find out where they are from, and you can send them there,” Mohamud said.

The pressures that drive people to leave stem from years of turmoil.

Somalia is still rebuilding after the fall of its central government in 1991 and the long civil war that followed.

The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Shabab group, which has been involved in attacks since 2006, has been hampered by ongoing attacks.

This has forced many young Somalis to attempt the perilous journey to Europe, often via Libya, where migrants face arrest, kidnapping and violence.

The Prime Minister always oversees such cases, Mohamud said, adding that Somali diplomats have been instructed to help citizens return.

Magnus Brunner, the bloc’s head of migration, said countries of origin must fulfill their commitments “otherwise, there will be consequences.”

A European Commission investigation concluded that Somalia’s agreement on repatriation was insufficient.

Under the new rules, member states will no longer be able to issue multiple entry visas to Somalis, and the fee for diplomatic passport holders will be waived. The standard visa application period has also been extended from 15 to 45 days.

The suspension does not have an end date and is intended to help pressure Mogadishu into greater cooperation.

Somalia now joins the list of countries affected by this.

The EU imposed similar restrictions on The Gambia in 2021 and Ethiopia in 2024, and lifted Ethiopia’s border in May after deciding that the deal was progressing well.

Visa restrictions add to the barriers for Somali travelers.

United States he imposed a curfew in 2025, when President Donald Trump returns to office, it covers the citizens of twelve countries, including Somalia.

The process showed interest this month when Omar Abdulkadir Artan, who was chosen as the best referee in Africa in 2025, was. refused to enter to the US and could not participate in the World Cup, even though he had a valid visa.

The stand-off comes as the EU expands its expansionist policies, pursuing asylum beyond its borders and speeding up deportations of people who refuse the right to stay.