Somalia travel advice

This advice has been reviewed and reissued with an amendment to the Summary (reports of an imminent major confrontation) . The overall level of the advice has not changed; we advise against all travel to Somalia.

Travel Summary

• We advise against all travel to Somalia, including Somaliland. In the Southern and Central regions, there is ongoing serious violence, dangerous levels of criminal activity and general internal insecurity. We advise any British citizens in Somalia to leave.

• There is a high threat from terrorism throughout Somalia. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers and places where expatriates operate. See the Terrorism/Security section of this Travel Advice.
  

• The Somali President declared a state of emergency on 22 June 2009. Insurgent activity and political tension remains high. In recent days we have received reports that insurgent groups have increased their presence in Mogadishu, with increased tension and reports of around 30 deaths in renewed fighting. Reporting indicates a likely major confrontation in coming weeks. There is also increased tension in the Somaliland / Puntland border in the Sool and Sanaag regions with a number of explosions and deaths reported around Laas Caanood.
  

• Piracy is a significant threat in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, especially for shipping which does not take appropriate precautions or follow agreed shipping industry best practice guidelines. On 23 October, two British nationals were taken hostage while sailing approximately 60 nautical miles from the Seychelles’ main island of Mahe. See the Sea Travel section of this Travel Advice.
  

• There is no British representation in any part of Somalia and we are unable to provide consular assistance there. Should you need consular assistance please travel to the British Embassy in Addis Ababa or the British High Commission in Nairobi. See the General section of this Travel Advice.
  

• Westerners and those working for western organisations have been targeted in the past and this threat is ongoing. Most recently two French nationals were kidnapped from a hotel in Mogadishu on 14 July 2009. On 26 November 2008 one Briton and one Spaniard were kidnapped from Bosasso. One Briton and one Kenyan were kidnapped in the southern region of Juba on 1 April 2008. See the Terrorism/Security section of this Travel Advice.
  

• Should you decide to travel to Somalia against this Travel Advice, we recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake. See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and our Travel Insurance page.

Safety and security

Terrorism/Security

We advise against all travel to Somalia. There is a high threat to western, including British, interests from terrorism in Somalia. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers. There is ongoing serious violence between opposing factions.

The incidents below highlight the threat posed by terrorism in Somalia and the capacity of terrorist groups to carry out attacks.

On 25 January 2010 a bomb hidden near a mosque in Laas Caanood (Somaliland) killed four policemen and severely injured two others.

On 3 December 2009 there was a suicide bomb attack at a graduation ceremony in a Mogadishu hotel killing 3 Transitional Federal Government Ministers and approximately 30 civilians, including journalists and a number of medical graduates.

On 17 September 2009 a double suicide attack on an African Union base in Mogadishu killed 21 people including peace-keepers from the African Union Mission in Somalia and their Deputy Force Commander. At least 30 others were injured including a British National.

Serious fighting, involving heavy weapons continues to occur in and around Mogadishu. Unconfirmed numbers of civilians of all ages have been killed in the violence. The fighting has been particularly intense since early May. On 18 June 2009 Security Minister, Omar Hashi, was killed in a suicide bomb attack at a hotel in Beledweyne, which claimed the live of more that 30 other officials and civilians.

On 29 October 2008 there were three explosions in Hargeisa (Somaliland). The explosions occurred at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office, the Ethiopian Trade Office and the President’s Villa. Deaths were reported at both the UNDP offices and the Ethiopian Embassy. Exact numbers of injured and dead are not clear.

Also on 29 October 2008 there were two explosions in Bossaso (Puntland). These explosions reportedly took place near security institutions. Deaths were reported, but exact numbers of injured and dead are not clear.

Westerners and those working for western organisations have been targeted. Most recently, two French personnel were kidnapped from a hotel in Mogadishu on 14 July 2009. One Briton and one Spaniard were kidnapped from Bosasso, on their way to the airport, on 26 November 2008. A Somali national working for the BBC was murdered in the port city of Kismayo in June 2008. One Briton and one Kenyan were kidnapped on the road between Saakow and Bu'aale in the southern region of Juba on 1 April 2008 and continue to be held. On 28 January 2008 three aid workers, one French, one Kenyan and one Somali, were killed in the southern port town of Kismayo. Somalis working for international organisations, including the UN, were victims of targeted attacks during 2008.

You should be aware of the global risk of indiscriminate terrorist attacks, which could be against civilian targets, including places frequented by foreigners. For more general information see our Terrorism Abroad page.

Crime

There is a dangerous level of criminal activity by numerous bodies of armed militia throughout Somalia. As a result there have been murders, armed robbery and a number of incidents of kidnapping. There are regular and sporadic outbreaks of inter-clan violence throughout the south of Somalia and especially in Mogadishu.

For more general information see our Victims of Crime Abroad page.

Political Situation Somalia Country Profile

Local Travel

Sea Travel

Piracy is a significant threat in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and has occurred as far as 1000 nautical miles from the coast of Somalia. Attacks of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in and around the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin continue to affect only a very small proportion of overall shipping, but are frequent and continuing, proving successful almost exclusively against shipping which has not complied with agreed shipping industry best practice on self-defence measures, including on routing. All mariners should follow the 'Best Management Practise for the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia' (http://www.icc-ccs.org.uk), published by the International Maritime Bureau. We urge mariners to register with the Maritime Security Centre (Horn of Africa) for up to date advice and guidance on passage round the Horn of Africa - www.mschoa.org, and to plan their routing carefully so as to avoid placing themselves in unnecessary danger.

For further information see our River and Sea Safety page.

Local laws and customs

For more general information for different types of travellers see our Your Trip page.

Health

There are basic hospital facilities in Hargeisa. Elsewhere medical facilities are extremely limited or non-existent.

Polio remains a major problem in Somalia. With cases occurring outside of the capital there remains the risk of continued spread of wild polio both in Somalia and to neighbouring countries.

In the 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated that around 24,000 adults aged 15 or over in Somalia were living with HIV; the prevalence rate was estimated at around 0.5% of the adult population. This compares to the prevalence rate in adults in the UK of around 0.2%. You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. You should exercise normal precautions to avoid exposure to HIV/AIDS. For more general information on how to do this see our HIV and AIDS page.

If, despite our advice, you travel to Somalia, you should seek medical advice before doing so to ensure that all appropriate vaccinations are up-to-date. For further information on vaccination requirements, health outbreaks and general disease protection and prevention you should visit the websites of the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC) and NHS Scotland's Fit For Travel or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

For more general health information see our Travel Health and Swine Flu pages.

General

Insurance

If, despite our advice, you travel to Somalia, you should ensure that you take out adequate medical insurance before arrival and carry a comprehensive medical pack when travelling. Medical insurance should cover the cost of air ambulance evacuation out of Somalia in the event of serious accident or illness. You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake. For more general information see our Travel Insurance page.

If things do go wrong when you are oversees then see our When Things Go Wrong page.

British Representation

There is no British representation in Somalia.

Registration

British nationals planning to visit Somaliland in spite of our advice not to do so should register their presence with the British Embassy in Addis Ababa. This can be done by either contacting the Embassy direct or through the Africa Educational Trust (AET) office in Hargeisa; (tel: +252 213 4534; fax + 252 213 4501). Those planning to visit other parts of Somalia in spite of our advice not to do so should register with the British High Commission in Nairobi.

Address: British Embassy
Fikre Mariam Abatechan Street
Addis Ababa
Postal address:
PO Box 858

Telephone: (251) (1) 612354

Facsimile: (251) (1) 610588
(251) (1) 614154 Consular/Visa Section

Email: BritishEmbassy.AddisAbaba@fco.gov.uk

Those planning to visit other parts of Somalia in spite of our advice not to do so should register with the British High Commission in Nairobi.

Address: British High Commission
Upper Hill Road
Nairobi
PO Box 30465 - 00100 Nairobi

Consular Dept: PO Box 48543 - 00100 Nairobi

Telephone: (254) (020) 2844000 (15 lines)

Email: ConsularSection.nairobi@fco.gov.uk Consular Section

Website: http://ukinkenya.fco.gov.uk/en/

You might also wish to register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency. More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.

Money

Credit cards are not accepted in Somalia and it is not possible to obtain currency advances against a credit card. If you go, you should take hard currency, normally US dollars.