Europe
Somalia and Germany
Germany and Somalia have had diplomatic relations since 1 July 1960. Germany covers Somalia from its embassy in Nairobi, while Somalia has an embassy in Berlin. Germany puts its development cooperation with Somalia at about €546 million, signed a further €75 million agreement in 2025, and is one of Somalia's main humanitarian donors. President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud met Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin on 5 November 2024.
How do Somalia and Germany relate today?
Germany describes itself as a reliable partner with an interest in a stable, democratic Somalia (Federal Foreign Office, Germany and Somalia). On 5 November 2024 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud visited Berlin and met Chancellor Olaf Scholz (Federal Foreign Office).
Key facts today:
- Development: German development cooperation with Somalia totals about €546 million, focused on jobs and vocational training, farming and food security, and resilience (Federal Foreign Office).
- Humanitarian: Germany is among the main humanitarian donors and pays into UN pooled emergency funds (Federal Foreign Office).
- Embassies: Somalia has an embassy at Rheinstraße 10 in Berlin (Federal Foreign Office, representations). Germany covers Somalia from its embassy in Nairobi (German Wikipedia, list of German ambassadors to Somalia).
- Trade: Germany exported US$26.1 million of goods to Somalia in 2024 and imported US$2.7 million (UN Comtrade, Germany–Somalia 2024).
When did contact begin?
West Germany and Somalia established diplomatic relations on 1 July 1960, the day the Somali Republic was formed (Federal Foreign Office). East Germany followed on 8 April 1970 (Federal Foreign Office).
In the 1960s West Germany gave a moderate amount of aid and shared the training of the Somali police with Italy and the United States (Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study). Earlier, in 1885–1886, agents of the German East Africa Company signed treaties with rulers on the southern Somali coast; Germany gave up these claims in the 1890 Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty (German Wikipedia, Deutsch-somalische Beziehungen).
What happened at Mogadishu airport in 1977?
On 18 October 1977 the German border police unit GSG 9, led by Ulrich Wegener, stormed the hijacked Lufthansa airliner "Landshut" at Mogadishu airport and freed its passengers (German Wikipedia, Entführung der Landshut). Minister of State Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski flew to Mogadishu with the unit and won the agreement of President Siad Barre for a joint operation (German Wikipedia). He reported success to Chancellor Helmut Schmidt at 2:12 a.m. local time (German Wikipedia). See The Landshut hijacking and the Mogadishu airport rescue, October 1977.
A month later, on 10 November 1977, US, British, French and West German officials met in London to coordinate a position on the Ogaden war (US Department of State, FRUS 1977–1980, vol. XVII, doc. 34). Somalia opened an embassy in Bonn in 1978 (German Wikipedia).
Who are the ambassadors and envoys?
West German ambassadors to Somalia, as listed from German records (German Wikipedia, list):
- Wilhelm Kopf, 1960–1963
- Rolf Nagel, 1963–1967
- Josef Holik, 1971–1974
- Horst Becker, 1975–1977
- Michael Libal, chargé d'affaires, 1977
- Cornelius Alexander Metternich, 1978–1982
- Reinhard Schäfers, 1982–1985
- Steffen Rudolph, 1985–1987
- Anna-Margareta Peters, 1988–1989
- Helmut Rau, 1990–1991
The German embassy in Mogadishu closed as the civil war began, and since 1990 the ambassador in Nairobi has been accredited to Somalia (German Wikipedia). Annett Günther presented her credentials to President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmaajo" on 7 October 2018, the third ambassador in a row since relations were renewed (Federal Foreign Office, 5 March 2019, via ZVEI).
Somalia's ambassador in Berlin is Abdiasis Mohamud Mohamed, appointed on 4 September 2024 (Federal Foreign Office).
Who built the tie?
- Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski: German Minister of State who negotiated with Siad Barre in Mogadishu in October 1977 (German Wikipedia).
- Siad Barre: Somali President who agreed to the joint rescue operation in 1977 (German Wikipedia).
- Annett Günther: ambassador accredited in 2018 (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI).
- Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Olaf Scholz: met in Berlin on 5 November 2024 (Federal Foreign Office).
- Mahmud A. Sheikh Farah "Beenebeene", Somalia's Minister of Planning, and Julia Hanning, head of East Africa at Germany's development ministry (BMZ): signed the €75 million agreement in Mogadishu in 2025 (Fokus Afrika, 2 November 2025).
- Abdiasis Mohamud Mohamed: Somali ambassador in Berlin since 2024 (Federal Foreign Office).
What agreements have they signed?
- October 2017: at government talks in Berlin, Germany pledged €103.44 million for Somalia's reconstruction (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI).
- 2025: a €75 million development agreement for two years from 2026, covering farming and food systems, education, jobs and vocational training, water and climate resilience (Fokus Afrika).
Which leaders have visited?
- October 1977: Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski in Mogadishu (German Wikipedia).
- 5 November 2024: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud in Berlin (Federal Foreign Office).
How much do they trade?
Germany's Foreign Office said in 2019 that economic relations were almost non-existent because the conditions were lacking (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). German customs figures, in US dollars (UN Comtrade):
- 2015: exports 16.7 million, imports 1.1 million (UN Comtrade 2015)
- 2019: exports 30.6 million, imports 3.1 million (UN Comtrade 2019)
- 2023: exports 17.5 million, imports 2.1 million (UN Comtrade 2023)
- 2024: exports 26.1 million, imports 2.7 million
Machinery led German exports in 2024 at US$12.5 million (UN Comtrade, by product). Germany's main imports were oil seeds such as sesame (US$1.35 million) and gums and resins such as frankincense (US$0.95 million) (UN Comtrade, by product).
How much aid and money has gone in?
Development cooperation stopped during the civil war and restarted in 2014 (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). The figures grew as follows:
- 2018: the Foreign Office gave more than €75 million in humanitarian aid; the development portfolio stood at about €322 million (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI).
- Since 2015: over €30 million from the Foreign Office for crisis prevention and stabilisation (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI).
- Today: about €546 million in development cooperation (Federal Foreign Office).
German money also pays for centres in Baidoa and Kismayo, run by the International Organization for Migration, that help former Al-Shabaab fighters return to civilian life (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). Germany funded weapons stores built to international standards for the Somali armed forces (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI).
What about security?
Germany takes part in EU and UN missions with civilian staff and police: EUCAP Somalia, the EU training mission EUTM and the naval operation Atalanta (Federal Foreign Office). It has sent police to the UN missions UNSOM and UNTMIS, and funds the African Union mission through the EU (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). German troops served in UNOSOM II in 1993 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II facts). See Foreign forces in Somalia.
How does Germany deal with Somaliland and the member states?
Germany has backed Somalia's federal system directly. It placed advisers in the Prime Minister's office, the interior ministry and the governments of all member states (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). It gave special help to Hirshabelle, then the youngest member state, and supported local mediation in the conflict between Galmudug and Puntland (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). It also supports a federal police structure (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI).
How many Somalis live in Germany?
At the end of 2025 UNHCR counted 41,383 Somali refugees and 5,641 Somali asylum seekers in Germany (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API). See Germany (Somali diaspora).
Where does Germany stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia?
Germany contributes to the UN support office UNSOS through its UN dues, and to the African Union mission through the EU's African Peace Facility (Federal Foreign Office 2019 text, via ZVEI). It notes that UNTMIS, which took over from UNSOM in 2024, is due to end in October 2026 (Federal Foreign Office).
Related pages
Sources
- Federal Foreign Office, Germany and Somalia · auswaertiges-amt.de
- Federal Foreign Office, representations · auswaertiges-amt.de
- German Wikipedia, list of German ambassadors to Somalia · de.wikipedia.org
- UN Comtrade, Germany–Somalia 2024 · comtradeapi.un.org
- Library of Congress, Somalia: A Country Study · countrystudies.us
- German Wikipedia, Deutsch-somalische Beziehungen · de.wikipedia.org
- German Wikipedia, Entführung der Landshut · de.wikipedia.org
- US Department of State, FRUS 1977–1980, vol. XVII, doc. 34 · history.state.gov
- Federal Foreign Office, 5 March 2019, via ZVEI · zvei.org
- Fokus Afrika, 2 November 2025 · fokus-afrika.de
- UN Comtrade 2015 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade 2019 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade 2023 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade, by product · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade, by product · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM II facts · peacekeeping.un.org
- UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API · api.unhcr.org
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