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Somali Presidential Palace

A significant security compromise in the Federal Republic of Somalia's digital visa application system may have exposed sensitive details associated with numerous thousands of individuals, comprising US citizens, the United States diplomatic mission in Somalia has cautioned.

The embassy reported had received reliable information that "anonymous digital intruders" had penetrated the Somali government's electronic visa system, likely endangering information belonging to roughly 35,000 people.

The exposed records circulating online include personal identifiers, photographs, birth dates, relationship status, place of residence and electronic mail addresses, per a US embassy statement published on Thursday.

"This information compromise is ongoing and potentially disclose all private information you enter into the system," United Kingdom officials has also warned visitors.

"Assess the potential threats prior to requesting an e-visa necessary for travel to the Federal Republic."

Official Reaction

Government officials have not issued statements about the security compromise. However the government has shifted its visa service from the initial application portal to the new system etas.gov.so, without issuing an official explanation.

"Although Embassy Mogadishu lacks the capacity to validate if personal information is included in the compromise, travelers who have requested visas via the digital application platform might be compromised," the official communication stated.

Territorial Consequences

Somalia's new system requires every visitor, comprising individuals from the independently governed area of Somaliland and the partially independent area of Puntland, to seek travel visas via electronic platforms.

Opponents claim visitors have encountered additional charges in specific areas, equivalent to repeated fees.

Political Context

The self-declared republic, that proclaimed statehood in three decades ago, manages its territory via separate governmental bodies yet hasn't received global recognition. Mogadishu authorities maintains that the region continues to belong to its jurisdictional area.

The reported compromise exacerbates ongoing disputes between central government and Somaliland administration regarding authority over Somali airspace. Although Somalia regained total jurisdiction of territorial skies in 2017, Hargeisa administration regularly disputes the arrangement.

Recent Escalation

The disagreement escalated further this week after Somaliland's President the Somaliland president said the breakaway region would not accept Somalia's e-visa and instructed that aviation companies must obtain permission from northern authorities prior to accessing their territorial skies.

Nevertheless major airlines have refused to board passengers absent Mogadishu's electronic permit.

In the latest development, Somaliland's Foreign Minister the diplomatic representative again insisted that "every person entering the northern territory should receive entry permission on arrival", saying Somalia's e-visa system lacked security and cautioning that "people's data could be accessed by the hands of extremist groups" as a result of utilizing the system.

Passenger Complications

The stand-off has caused some travellers heading to Hargeisa stranded at airports after being denied boarding for lacking the federal electronic visa.

Somaliland's Civil Aviation Minister, the transport official, has told journalistic entities that the instructions - first announced previously - were implemented on the tenth of November.

The minister stated airlines that do not comply will be told to divert, and claimed several aircraft had been forced to change paths.

Aviation Authority Dispute

Footage distributed by Somaliland's aviation ministry appears to show regional aviation officials issuing instructions to foreign aircraft commanders - an action celebrated domestically as a confirmation of Somaliland's autonomy.

However the federal aviation regulator maintains it maintains sole administrative and legal control over the national airspace information zone (aviation control zone), encompassing the whole nation's airspace. Officials have directed each flight to ignore all directives provided by entities except central government.

Officials cautioned that not adhering to national and worldwide air transport standards could pose safety risks and result in "significant legal repercussions".