# Somalia and Belgium

> Belgium and Somalia: relations since 1960, Belgian troops in Kismayo in 1993, the 2013 Brussels New Deal conference, trade and aid.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/relations/belgium/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## How do Somalia and Belgium relate today?

Belgium has no embassy in Somalia. Its embassy in Nairobi has jurisdiction over Kenya, Eritrea, Madagascar, Seychelles and Somalia, and the ambassador in 2026 is Tom Neijens ([Embassy of Belgium in Kenya](https://kenya.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-honorary-consulates/embassy-nairobi/whos-who-and-jurisdiction)).

For Somalia, Brussels matters mostly as the seat of the European Union. Somalia's ambassador to the EU, Dr Khadija Osoble Ali, presented credentials to European Council President Charles Michel in Brussels on 26 November 2024 ([Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 26 November 2024](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somalias-new-ambassador-to-the-eu-presents-credentials/)).

Trade is small but uneven. Belgian exports to Somalia were US$13.0 million in 2023 and US$3.6 million in 2024 ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M)). Belgian bilateral aid has been close to zero since 2020 ([OECD DAC2A](https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC2@DF_DAC2A,/NOR+SWE+DNK+FIN+BEL+ESP+IRL.SOM.206..V?startPeriod=2010&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels)).

## When did contact begin?

Belgium and Somalia established diplomatic relations on 5 July 1960, according to Somalia's foreign ministry list ([Wikipedia, Foreign relations of Somalia, citing the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Somalia)). That makes Belgium one of the first states to set up relations with the new republic.

The closest contact came in 1992 and 1993. Belgium sent elite battalions to the UN operations in Somalia, UNOSOM I and II ([Providing for Peacekeeping, Belgium profile, 2014](http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/2014/04/03/contributor-profile-belgium)).

## Who are the ambassadors and envoys?

- **Tom Neijens**, Belgian ambassador in Nairobi, with jurisdiction over Somalia, 2026 ([Embassy of Belgium in Kenya](https://kenya.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-honorary-consulates/embassy-nairobi/whos-who-and-jurisdiction)).
- **Kris Lapiere**, deputy head of mission at the same embassy ([Embassy of Belgium in Kenya](https://kenya.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-honorary-consulates/embassy-nairobi/whos-who-and-jurisdiction)).
- **Colonel Lut Ruys**, Belgian defence attaché for the region, based in Addis Ababa ([Embassy of Belgium in Kenya](https://kenya.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-honorary-consulates/embassy-nairobi/whos-who-and-jurisdiction)).
- **Dr Khadija Osoble Ali**, Somalia's ambassador to the EU in Brussels from November 2024 ([Somalia MFA, 26 November 2024](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somalias-new-ambassador-to-the-eu-presents-credentials/)).

## Who built the tie?

- **Belgian peacekeepers** in Kismayo pushed back an attack by Somali National Alliance forces on 7 May 1993, three days after UNOSOM II took over the town ([Wikipedia, UNOSOM II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Operation_in_Somalia_II)).
- **Dr Khadija Osoble Ali** represents Somalia in Brussels to the EU ([Somalia MFA, 2024](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somalias-new-ambassador-to-the-eu-presents-credentials/)).
- **The 2013 New Deal conference** in Brussels, co-hosted by the EU and Somalia on 16 September 2013, endorsed the Somali Compact ([EEAS, Somalia New Deal Conference](https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/new-deal-for-somalia-conference/)).

## What agreements have they signed?

The main framework agreed in Brussels was multilateral: the Somali Compact, endorsed at the EU–Somalia conference of 16 September 2013 ([EEAS](https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/new-deal-for-somalia-conference/)).

## Which leaders have visited?

- **16 September 2013**: President [Hassan Sheikh Mohamud](/en/people/hassan-sheikh-mohamud/)'s government co-hosted the New Deal conference in Brussels with the EU ([EEAS](https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/new-deal-for-somalia-conference/)).
- **26 November 2024**: Ambassador Khadija Osoble Ali presented credentials to the European Council in Brussels ([Somalia MFA](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somalias-new-ambassador-to-the-eu-presents-credentials/)).

## How much do they trade?

UN Comtrade records Belgium's trade with Somalia:

- 2015: exports US$692,644; imports US$191 ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2015&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))
- 2020: exports US$6.87 million ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2020&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))
- 2023: exports US$12.97 million; imports US$138,671 ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2023&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))
- 2024: exports US$3.57 million; imports US$132,299 ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))

In 2024 the largest export groups were preserved vegetables and fruit, textile articles, electrical equipment and plastics ([UN Comtrade, HS chapters, 2024](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=AG2&flowCode=X)).

## How much aid and money has gone in?

Belgian bilateral aid to Somalia, in current US dollars, was US$5.7 million in 2010 and US$7.5 million in 2011 ([OECD DAC2A](https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC2@DF_DAC2A,/NOR+SWE+DNK+FIN+BEL+ESP+IRL.SOM.206..V?startPeriod=2010&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels)). It was US$4.7 million in 2017 and US$2.3 million in 2019, then fell to US$0.05 million in 2021 and nearly zero in 2022 and 2023 ([OECD DAC2A](https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC2@DF_DAC2A,/NOR+SWE+DNK+FIN+BEL+ESP+IRL.SOM.206..V?startPeriod=2010&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels)). Belgium also funds Somalia through its EU contributions.

## What about security?

Belgium contributed elite battalions to UNOSOM I and II ([Providing for Peacekeeping, 2014](http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/2014/04/03/contributor-profile-belgium)). Belgian troops held Kismayo in 1993 and one Belgian soldier died in UNOSOM II ([Wikipedia, UNOSOM II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Operation_in_Somalia_II)). Belgian officers later cited their experience in Somalia, Bosnia and Rwanda when questioning UN command structures ([Providing for Peacekeeping, 2014](http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/2014/04/03/contributor-profile-belgium)). See [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/).

## How does Belgium deal with Somaliland and the member states?

Belgium's Kismayo deployment in 1993 placed Belgian troops in today's [Jubaland](/en/states/jubaland/) ([Wikipedia, UNOSOM II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Operation_in_Somalia_II)). Its current embassy jurisdiction names Somalia as one country ([Embassy of Belgium in Kenya](https://kenya.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-honorary-consulates/embassy-nairobi/whos-who-and-jurisdiction)).

## Have there been disputes?

Somali forces disputed the Belgian role in Kismayo in 1993. The Somali National Alliance saw the town's fall to General Mohamed Said Hersi Morgan, with Belgian peacekeepers present, as a breach of UN neutrality ([Wikipedia, UNOSOM II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Operation_in_Somalia_II)).

In April 1997 the Brussels daily *Het Laatste Nieuws* published photographs of Belgian paratroopers abusing Somali civilians in 1993. Two paratroopers were charged with assault and battery, and Defence Minister Jean-Pol Poncelet promised prosecution ([*The Irish Times*, 17 April 1997](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/belgian-atrocities-exposed-1.63206)). On 30 June 1997 a military court acquitted the two, calling the fire incident a "playful game" ([*Spokesman-Review*, AP, 1 July 1997](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/jul/01/court-troops-playing-not-torturing-boy/)). Since 23 June 2026 the EU, including Belgium, has restricted visas for Somali nationals over readmission ([Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi, on the EU Council decision, 8 July 2026](https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/kenya-nairobi/current/news/the-council-of-the-european-union-restricts-visa-provision-for-somali-nationals/)).

## How many Somalis live in Belgium?

Eurostat counted 12,040 people born in Somalia living in Belgium on 1 January 2025 ([Eurostat, migr_pop3ctb](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop3ctb/default/table?lang=en)). At the end of 2025 UNHCR counted 2,325 Somali refugees and 1,090 Somali asylum seekers there ([UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=50&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=BEL)). See [Somalis in Belgium](/en/diaspora/belgium/).

## Where does Belgium stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia?

Belgium took part in the UN operations of 1992 to 1993 ([Providing for Peacekeeping, 2014](http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/2014/04/03/contributor-profile-belgium)). As host of the EU institutions, Brussels saw the 2013 conference that endorsed the Somali Compact and hosts Somalia's mission to the EU ([EEAS](https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/new-deal-for-somalia-conference/); [Somalia MFA](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somalias-new-ambassador-to-the-eu-presents-credentials/)).

## Related pages

- [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/)
- [Belgian and Italian troops in Somalia, 1993](/en/history/belgian-italian-troops-somalia-1993/)
- [UN intervention, 1992 to 1995](/en/history/un-intervention-1992-1995/)
- [Somalis in Belgium](/en/diaspora/belgium/)
- [International bodies in Somalia](/en/institutions/international-bodies-in-somalia/)
- [Mohamed Said Hersi Morgan](/en/people/mohamed-said-hersi-morgan/)
- [Somali National Alliance](/en/institutions/somali-national-alliance/)

## Sources

1. Embassy of Belgium in Kenya. "Who's who and jurisdiction." [diplomatie.belgium.be](https://kenya.diplomatie.belgium.be/en/embassy-and-honorary-consulates/embassy-nairobi/whos-who-and-jurisdiction). Checked 2026-11-12.
2. Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Somalia's new ambassador to the EU presents credentials." 26 November 2024. [mfa.gov.so](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somalias-new-ambassador-to-the-eu-presents-credentials/). Checked 2026-11-12.
3. European External Action Service. "Somalia New Deal Conference," 16 September 2013. [eeas.europa.eu](https://eeas.europa.eu/archives/new-deal-for-somalia-conference/). Checked 2026-11-12.
4. Providing for Peacekeeping. "Contributor profile: Belgium." 2014. [providingforpeacekeeping.org](http://www.providingforpeacekeeping.org/2014/04/03/contributor-profile-belgium). Checked 2026-11-12.
5. Wikipedia. "United Nations Operation in Somalia II" and "Foreign relations of Somalia" (used where underlying sources are offline). [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Operation_in_Somalia_II). Checked 2026-11-12.
6. OECD. DAC2A, ODA disbursements to Somalia by donor. [sdmx.oecd.org](https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC2@DF_DAC2A,/NOR+SWE+DNK+FIN+BEL+ESP+IRL.SOM.206..V?startPeriod=2010&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels). Checked 2026-11-12.
7. UN Comtrade. Belgium–Somalia trade, 2015 to 2024. [comtradeapi.un.org](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=56&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M). Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi. EU Council visa restrictions for Somali nationals. 8 July 2026. [swedenabroad.se](https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/kenya-nairobi/current/news/the-council-of-the-european-union-restricts-visa-provision-for-somali-nationals/). Checked 2026-11-12.
9. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Belgium, 2024 to 2025. [api.unhcr.org](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=50&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=BEL). Checked 2026-11-12.
10. Eurostat. Population by country of birth, migr_pop3ctb. [ec.europa.eu](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_pop3ctb/default/table?lang=en). Checked 2026-11-12.
11. *The Irish Times*. "Belgian atrocities exposed." 17 April 1997. [irishtimes.com](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/belgian-atrocities-exposed-1.63206). Checked 2026-11-13.
12. *Spokesman-Review* (AP). "Court: troops playing, not torturing boy." 1 July 1997. [spokesman.com](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/jul/01/court-troops-playing-not-torturing-boy/). Checked 2026-11-13.

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