Somalia and Eritrea

How do Somalia and Eritrea relate today?

Eritrea is one of the Somali federal government's closest partners in the region. On 4 October 2026 Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Isaias Afwerki joined Egypt's Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Sudan's General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in issuing the El Alamein Joint Declaration in New Alamein City, Egypt (Al Jazeera, 5 October 2026).

The declaration backed "the unity and sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia" and rejected any recognition of Somaliland. It said governance of the Red Sea "is the exclusive responsibility of the littoral states" (SUNA via AllAfrica, 5 October 2026). Ethiopia had accused Eritrea of backing an armed alliance in Ethiopia; Eritrea denied it (Al Jazeera, 5 October 2026).

Somalia has had a resident ambassador in Asmara since November 2023 (Goobjoog, 19 November 2023). No trade between the two is reported to the UN.

When did contact begin?

Under Siad Barre, Somalia's government backed Eritrea's long fight for independence from Ethiopia, which Eritrea won in 1993 (VOA, 30 July 2018). In May 1999 IRIN reported a Somali newspaper's claim that Asmara was opening an embassy in Mogadishu (The New Humanitarian, 25 May 1999).

From about 2006 Somalia became the scene of what observers called a proxy war between Eritrea and Ethiopia. Ethiopia backed the interim government in Mogadishu, and Eritrea was accused of backing the Islamist fighters against it, which it denied (VOA, 2018). Somalia broke off relations in 2008 over claims that Asmara funded al-Shabaab (Goobjoog, 2023).

Who are the ambassadors and envoys?

Somalia to Eritrea

• Omar Idris, formerly Somalia's ambassador to Qatar, presented his credentials to Isaias on 17 November 2023 as the first Somali ambassador to Eritrea (Garowe Online, November 2023; Goobjoog, 19 November 2023).

Eritrea to Somalia

• An Eritrean delegation visited Mogadishu in mid-August 2018 to follow up the declaration (Africanews, 14 August 2018).

Who built the tie?

• Isaias Afwerki, President of Eritrea since 1993, signed the 2018 declarations and hosted Somali leaders in Asmara many times (Al Jazeera, 30 July 2018).
• Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo, President of Somalia, made a three-day visit to Asmara and signed the 30 July 2018 declaration; he then called for UN sanctions on Eritrea to be lifted (Al Jazeera, 30 July 2018).
• Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia's prime minister, signed the three-way cooperation declaration with Farmaajo and Isaias on 5 September 2018 (PA-X).
• Yemane Gebremeskel, Eritrea's information minister, published the 2018 joint statement and announced Somali presidential visits (Al Jazeera, 2018; Garowe Online).
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, President of Somalia from 2022, visited the Somali soldiers in Eritrea about a month after his election and returned several times (Garowe Online).
• Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur, Somalia's defence minister, received the first returning trainees on 21 December 2022 (VOA, 21 December 2022).
• Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, President of Egypt, joined the Asmara summit of October 2024 and hosted the El Alamein summit of October 2026 (Villa Somalia, 10 October 2024; Al Jazeera, 2026).
• Omar Idris, first Somali ambassador in Asmara from November 2023 (Goobjoog, 2023).

What agreements have they signed?

• Joint Declaration on Brotherly Relations and Comprehensive Cooperation, 30 July 2018, Asmara: "The two countries will establish diplomatic relations and exchange ambassadors" (VOA, 30 July 2018; PA-X). It also covered trade, investment, and educational and cultural exchanges.
• Joint Declaration on Comprehensive Cooperation between Ethiopia, Somalia and Eritrea, 5 September 2018, Asmara: close political, economic, social, cultural and security ties and a Joint High-Level Committee (PA-X).
• Tripartite communiqué with Egypt, 10 October 2024, Asmara: support for Somalia's army to protect its land and sea borders, and a joint committee of the three foreign ministers (Villa Somalia, 10 October 2024).
• El Alamein Joint Declaration, 4 October 2026, with Egypt and Sudan (SUNA via AllAfrica).

Which leaders have visited?

• 28–30 July 2018: Farmaajo in Asmara (Al Jazeera).
• 5 September 2018: Farmaajo and Abiy in Asmara for the tripartite summit (PA-X).
• 13 December 2018: Isaias in Mogadishu, his first visit to Somalia, welcomed at the airport by Farmaajo (Al Jazeera, 14 December 2018).
• 2022: Hassan Sheikh in Asmara about a month after his May 2022 election, and again four months later for a four-day official visit (Garowe Online); a third visit within eight months followed (Garowe Online).
• 9–10 October 2024: Hassan Sheikh and Sisi in Asmara for the tripartite summit (Villa Somalia).
• December 2024: Hassan Sheikh on a working visit to Asmara (African Business/APO, December 2024).
• 4 October 2026: Hassan Sheikh and Isaias at El Alamein, Egypt (Al Jazeera).

How much do they trade?

Neither country reports bilateral trade to UN Comtrade, and no other trade figures were found. The 2018 declaration committed both to "promote bilateral trade and investment" (PA-X).

How much aid and money has gone in?

Eritrea is not an aid donor to Somalia. Its main support has been military training (below). On one visit Hassan Sheikh saw Somali army members training at the Eritrean Air Force headquarters in Asmara and "applauded" Eritrea's help in rebuilding the army (Garowe Online).

What about security?

The UN Security Council placed an arms embargo, travel bans and asset freezes on Eritrea in resolution 1907 of 23 December 2009, citing Monitoring Group findings that Eritrea had supported armed groups in Somalia (UN, S/RES/1907 (2009)). In 2017 the monitors said that for a fourth mandate they had "not found conclusive evidence" of Eritrean support to al-Shabaab (UN, S/2017/925). Resolution 2444 of 14 November 2018 ended the sanctions on Eritrea and welcomed the 5 September 2018 tripartite declaration (UN, S/RES/2444 (2018)). From 2019 about 5,000 Somali recruits were taken to Eritrea for training, the first in secret; the first group came home on 21 December 2022, and VOA Somali found no evidence they had been sent to Ethiopia's Tigray war (VOA, 21 December 2022). See Eritrea and Somalia: sanctions and the recruits and Foreign forces in Somalia.

How does Eritrea deal with Somaliland and the member states?

• Eritrea signed the El Alamein declaration, which rejected any recognition of or support for Somaliland as an infringement of Somalia's sovereignty (SUNA via AllAfrica, 5 October 2026).
• Eritrea condemned Israel's December 2025 recognition of Somaliland and called for a UN Security Council response (Ethiopia Observer).
• No Eritrean offices or agreements with Somaliland or the federal member states were found.

Have there been disputes?

• 2006–2018: Eritrea was accused of backing Islamist fighters against Somalia's interim government, a charge it denied. Somalia cut ties in 2008 (VOA, 2018; Goobjoog, 2023).
• Recruits, 2021: families in Somalia protested over sons sent to Eritrea; a UN human rights report alleged some were in Tigray, which Somalia denied (VOA, 2022). See the military page.

How many Somalis live in Eritrea?

UNHCR counted 2,758 refugees from Somalia in Eritrea in 2014 and 80 in 2020; it listed none in 2021 (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API). In 2025 Somalia hosted 50 refugees and 63 asylum seekers from Eritrea (UNHCR API).

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

• Eritrea was itself under UN sanctions linked to Somalia from 2009 to 2018 (S/RES/2444 (2018)).
• Eritrea does not send troops to the AU mission in Somalia.
• In the 2024 Asmara communiqué Eritrea welcomed Egypt's offer to contribute peacekeeping forces in Somalia (Villa Somalia, 2024).

Related pages

• Eritrea and Somalia: sanctions, the 2018 thaw and the recruits
• Foreign forces in Somalia
• UN Monitoring Group on Somalia
• Somali National Army
• Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo
• Hassan Sheikh Mohamud
• Islamic Courts Union 2006
• Al-Shabaab