Somalia suspended a visa-on-arrival travel arrangement with Egypt on Sunday after approximately 35 Somali nationals reported being held for two nights at Cairo International Airport, having their passports confiscated and being denied entry or transit, Mogadishu’s immigration agency said.
Somalia’s Immigration and Citizenship Agency said the suspension of the “OK-to-Board” pre-clearance system, had previously allowed citizens of certain African countries to complete visa formalities upon arrival at Egyptian airports rather than before departure.
“All Somali citizens are hereby informed that, effective today, May 24, 2026, travel to Egypt with an OK-to-Board has been temporarily suspended,” the agency said in a statement, adding it had been closely monitoring “challenges” encountered by Somali citizens at Cairo airport.
Somali travelers affected by the incident said they had been subjected to mistreatment and were prevented from entering Egypt or continuing onward journeys despite holding valid airline-issued pre-authorizations coordinated with Egyptian authorities.
Mogadishu said Somali nationals must now obtain a formal visa from an Egyptian consulate before travel. There was no immediate comment from Egyptian authorities.
The episode comes days after Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said it was monitoring the situation of eight Egyptian sailors detained aboard the UAE-flagged oil tanker M/T Eureka following an armed seizure by Somali pirates in Yemeni territorial waters, according to Egyptian statements.
The vessel was subsequently escorted to the shores of the semi-autonomous Somali region of Puntland. Cairo said it had contacted Somali authorities to secure the crew’s safety and release, amid international warnings of renewed piracy activity in the Horn of Africa.
Despite the suspension, Somalia’s agency said it remained committed to “strengthening bilateral relations and travel cooperation between Somalia and Egypt.”
Relations between the two countries have deepened in recent years, partly against the backdrop of shared tensions with Ethiopia over regional policy. The two governments had agreed in January 2025 to elevate ties to a strategic partnership. In February, their foreign ministers met in Cairo to discuss economic and security cooperation, including plans to open a branch of Banque Misr in Mogadishu.
At those talks, Cairo reaffirmed support for Somalia’s territorial unity and sovereignty. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also reiterated Egypt’s rejection of Israel’s unilateral recognition of Somaliland — the breakaway region that has declared independence from Somalia but remains unrecognized internationally — describing the move as a violation of international law and a threat to stability in the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea.
