Getty ImagesTaiwan has condemned Somalia for banning travellers with Taiwanese passports from entering or transiting through the East African country.
The ban took effect on Wednesday following an order issued by Somali aviation authorities last week, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said.
Somalia is yet to comment on the ban which comes as Taiwan, a self-ruled island claimed by China, boosts ties with Somaliland, which broke away from Somalia 34 years ago, but remains mostly unrecognised internationally.
In 2020, Somaliland and Taiwan set up embassies in each other’s capitals, angering both China and Somalia.
Somalia’s civil aviation authority issued a notice to airlines saying that Taiwanese passports would “no longer be valid for entry into or transit through the Federal Republic of Somalia” from 30 April, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly protested Somalia’s action made under the instigation of China to restrict the travel freedom and safety of Taiwanese nationals and has demanded that the Somali government immediately revoke the notice,” the ministry said.
The ministry urged Taiwanese against travelling to Somalia or Somaliland for their own safety before Somalia reverses the ban, Taiwanese media reported.
Neither Somaliland nor Somalia has commented.
China “highly appreciates” the ban, calling it a “legitimate measure” that “reflects Somalia’s firm adherence to the one-China principle”, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told journalists on Wednesday, according to the AFP news agency.
Taiwan has its own constitution and holds regular, multi-party elections to choose its own leaders.
China insists Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force if necessary to bring the island under its control.
Following a diplomatic push by China, Taiwan – officially known as the Republic of China – is only recognised by a handful of countries.
Somaliland, which is not recognised by any other sovereign state, unilaterally declared independence from the rest of Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of the dictatorial regime in Somalia led by the late General Mohamed Siad Barre.
Somaliland also holds regular elections, while many parts of Somalia are under the control of the al-Shabab militant group, which is linked to al-Qaeda.
Somalia sees Somaliland as part of its territory and last year reacted furiously when Ethiopia struck a deal with the authorities there to lease one of its ports – a feud that only ended after Turkish mediation.