Oman (Somali diaspora)

How many Somalis live in Oman?

No source publishes a count. UNHCR's database returns no Somali refugees or asylum seekers in Oman for any year from 1975 to 2025 (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Oman). For 2025 it lists only people from Iraq, Pakistan, Sudan and Syria in Oman (UNHCR API, all origins in Oman, 2025).

Oman is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, according to the UN treaty register (UN Treaty Collection, Convention relating to the Status of Refugees). Somalia has been a party since 10 October 1978 (same source).

Oman's statistics centre (NCSI) lists foreign workers only for the nine largest nationalities each year. Somalia is not among them in any year from 2013 to 2022, as compiled by the Gulf Labour Markets and Migration programme (GLMM, from NCSI Monthly Statistical Bulletin). Somali workers fall under "other countries" in that table (same source).

What older ties link Oman and the Somali coast?

In the 19th century the Benadir coast, including Mogadishu, was drawn into the orbit of the Omani sultanate based in Zanzibar. Historian Edward Alpers traces this to Indian merchant capital based at Zanzibar, while Mogadishu stayed on the empire's edge (Alpers, Journal of African History, 1983). He concludes that the town remained distinctly Somali (same source).

A US embassy cable from Muscat in May 2006 described Oman–Somalia ties as long-standing, linked to Oman's past in East Africa (US Embassy Muscat, cable 06MUSCAT687, 2 May 2006, via WikiLeaks). It said Somalis had held prominent posts in Oman, including a past deputy governor of Dhofar and the then general manager of Bank Dhofar (same source).

For the history of the Somali coast, see Mogadishu.

What happened to Somalis in Dhofar in the 2000s?

The same 2006 cable said most Somalis in Dhofar lived quietly, harvesting frankincense or fishing (cable 06MUSCAT687). From 2003 a more visible group appeared in Salalah, which the cable said came largely from Somali refugee camps in Yemen. It estimated Somalis in southern Oman in the "low hundreds, at most" (same source).

• 2004: Royal Oman Police set up identity checkpoints in Dhofar, after which the Somali presence in Salalah fell sharply, the cable reported (same source).
• Spring 2006: a Somali embassy representative said about 200 Somalis were held in Salalah awaiting travel documents for return (same source).
• May 2006: a second cable reported that Oman's army had launched a campaign against migrants crossing from Yemen, mainly Somalis and some Eritreans (US Embassy Muscat, cable 06MUSCAT792, 17 May 2006, via WikiLeaks). Estimates of their number ranged from about 300 to nearly 4,000, and about 1,000 had been detained, with no breakdown by citizenship (same source).

The US State Department's human rights report for 2014 said Omani authorities detained and deported hundreds of presumed economic migrants in the south (Global Detention Project, citing US State Department 2014). They came from Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia and Eritrea and tried to enter by land and sea (same source). They were held in Salalah or Sohar for about a month on average before return, the report said (same source).

How do Somalis travel toward Oman now?

Most irregular travel to the Gulf runs through Yemen. The Mixed Migration Centre counted about 53,000 refugees and migrants leaving the Bosaso coast in 2025 (MMC, Somalia: journeys to Yemen and the Gulf, 2026). In its follow-up survey of 339 people, nine had moved on to the Gulf, and they reported very high exposure to abuse (same source).

Oman does not appear among the 45 countries from which Somali migrant returnees came in 2020 to 2024, in the national statistics bureau's list (Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, Migration Statistics Report 2025). For the sea route, see Yemen and Migration routes.

Who represents Somalia in Oman?

Somalia has an embassy in Muscat. In 2026 Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali visited it, met Ambassador Bashir Hassan Haji and ordered better service to Somali citizens (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2026).

On 25 April 2026 the minister met Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Al Busaidi in Muscat (SONNA, 25 April 2026). Oman restated its support for Somalia's unity and territorial integrity, SONNA reported. The report did not mention the Somali community in Oman (same source).

In November 2026 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud received the credentials of Oman's new ambassador to Somalia (Dawan Africa, November 2026).

How are Oman and Somalia linked by travel and trade?

SalamAir, an Omani airline, launched direct Muscat–Mogadishu flights twice a week in September 2026 (Oman Observer, 3 September 2026). The paper said the route was expected to support business and family travel (same source).

In 2025 the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia were Somalia's main export markets (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025). An October 2026 opinion piece in the Oman Observer cited UN Comtrade figures for 2024: Omani exports to Somalia of US$304 million, and imports of US$217 million (Oman Observer, 12 October 2026). The author said about 97% of Oman's imports from Somalia were live animals (same source).

Related pages

• Somali diaspora hub
• Yemen (Somali diaspora)
• Saudi Arabia (Somali diaspora)
• UAE (Dubai)
• Qatar (Somali diaspora)
• Kuwait (Somali diaspora)
• Migration routes
• Deportations and returns
• Somali refugees by the numbers

Sources

1. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Oman, 1975 to 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
2. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, all origins in Oman, 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
3. United Nations Treaty Collection. "Convention relating to the Status of Refugees", status of participants. treaties.un.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
4. Gulf Labour Markets and Migration (GLMM). "Oman: Employed foreign workers by country of citizenship (selected nationalities) (2013-2022)", from NCSI. gulfmigration.grc.net. Checked 12 November 2026.
5. Alpers, E. A. "Muqdisho in the Nineteenth Century: A Regional Perspective." Journal of African History 24(4), 1983, pp. 441–459. cambridge.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
6. US Embassy Muscat. "Somali migrants: small problem, but increasing irritant." Cable 06MUSCAT687, 2 May 2006, published by WikiLeaks. wikileaks.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
7. US Embassy Muscat. "Military launches campaign against Somali infiltrators." Cable 06MUSCAT792, 17 May 2006, published by WikiLeaks. wikileaks.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
8. Global Detention Project. "Oman" country profile, citing US State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2014. globaldetentionproject.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
9. Mixed Migration Centre. "Somalia: refugee and migrant journeys to Yemen and the Gulf." 2026. mixedmigration.org. Checked 12 November 2026.
10. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. "Migration Statistics Report", second edition, 2025. nbs.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
11. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Somalia. "Advancing reforms across Somalia's diplomatic missions." 2026. web.mfa.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
12. Somali National News Agency (SONNA). "Somalia and Oman strengthen bilateral ties during high-level talks in Muscat." 25 April 2026. sonna.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
13. Dawan Africa. "Somalia's president receives credentials of new Omani ambassador." November 2026. dawan.africa. Checked 12 November 2026.
14. Oman Observer. "SalamAir launches direct flights to Mogadishu." 3 September 2026. omanobserver.om. Checked 12 November 2026.
15. Central Bank of Somalia. "Annual Report 2025." 2026. centralbank.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
16. Yousuf bin Hamed al Balushi. "Two shores, one sea: the case for Oman and Somalia." Oman Observer, opinion, 12 October 2026. omanobserver.om. Checked 12 November 2026.