Gulf and Middle East
Somalia and Iraq
Somalia and Iraq have had relations since 17 October 1966. Iraq built Somalia's oil refinery in the late 1970s and was a close partner of the Siad Barre government, but Somalia sided with the coalition against Iraq in 1990. Somalia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in 2015, and Iraq is one of its largest bilateral creditors: US$227.12 million at the end of 2025.
How do Somalia and Iraq relate today?
Somalia has an embassy in Baghdad, reopened in October 2015 (Garowe Online, 16 October 2015). Both are members of the Arab League and the OIC.
Iraq is one of Somalia's largest creditors. At the end of 2025 Somalia owed Iraq US$227.12 million: US$31.22 million of principal, with the rest in interest arrears and penalty interest (Ministry of Finance, FY2025 debt report). The ministry held technical talks with Iraq in 2025 on a settlement under the debt relief framework (same source).
Recent contacts centre on security. Internal Security Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail (Fartaag) led a delegation to Baghdad in January 2025 (SONNA, 13 January 2025).
When did contact begin?
Relations were established on 17 October 1966, according to the trade paper Mideast Mirror, as cited in Wikipedia's table of Somalia's relations.
In the 1970s Somalia backed Arab states that opposed US policy in the Middle East, among them Iraq, Algeria and Libya (Library of Congress, Somalia country study). Somali soldiers trained in Iraq before the Ogaden War. Iraqi and Syrian pilots flew some of Somalia's MiG-21 missions from July 1977 (ACIG, Ogaden War 1977–1978).
In the late 1970s Iraq helped Somalia build a refinery at Jasiira, north-east of Baraawe, with a capacity of 10,000 barrels a day. Iraqi crude deliveries stopped when the Iran–Iraq War began in 1980 and were erratic by 1989 (Library of Congress).
In 1990 Somalia joined the US-led coalition against Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait. Its dependence on aid from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE was a key reason (Library of Congress).
Who are the ambassadors and envoys?
Somalia's ambassadors in Baghdad:
- Khadija Mohamed Makhsoumi presented her credentials to President Fuad Masum on 22 June 2015 (Garowe Online).
- Liban Sheikh Mohamud gave a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on 1 June 2021 (Iraq MFA, June 2021).
Iraq's envoys:
- Ismat Kittani, an Iraqi diplomat, was the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Somalia from 3 November 1992 (UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I).
- Ahmed Nayef Rashid Al-Dulaimi, Iraq's ambassador in Cairo and envoy to the Arab League, spoke for Iraq at the 2022 Somalia climate conference (Iraq MFA, 7 December 2022).
No resident Iraqi ambassador in Mogadishu appears in the sources found.
Who built the tie?
- Abdisalan Omar Hadliye, Somalia's foreign minister, opened the Baghdad embassy in October 2015 (Garowe Online).
- Abdikarin Hussein Gulled, Somalia's envoy to Kuwait and later head of Galmudug, attended the opening; his wife Khadija Makhsoumi became ambassador (same source).
- Abdi Saeed Musa (Abdisaid Muse Ali), Somalia's foreign minister, met Iraqi under-secretary Qahtan Taha Khalaf in Islamabad in 2022. Khalaf invited Somalia's foreign and finance ministers to Baghdad to agree on repaying Somalia's debt (Iraq MFA, 10 April 2022).
- Hamza Abdi Barre, Somalia's prime minister, met President Abdul Latif Rashid at the 2024 Arab summit in Manama and left for Iraq on 4 July 2024 at the invitation of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani (Garowe Online, 4 July 2024).
- Hussein Moallim, Somalia's national security adviser, met Iraq's adviser Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad (Dawan Africa).
- Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail (Fartaag), internal security minister, led the January 2025 delegation to Baghdad (SONNA).
What agreements have they signed?
No bilateral treaty text appears in the sources found. Somalia's debt to Iraq comes from loans of the 1970s and 1980s; Iraq was among the smaller Arab lenders listed by the Library of Congress (Library of Congress).
Which leaders have visited?
- Late December 1977 to early January 1978: President Siad Barre toured states including Iraq and Syria to seek support during the Ogaden War (ACIG).
- October 2015: Foreign Minister Hadliye in Baghdad (Garowe Online).
- July 2024: Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre (Garowe Online).
- January 2025: Minister Fartaag in Baghdad (SONNA).
- May 2025: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addressed the 34th Arab League summit in Baghdad (Somalia MFA).
How much do they trade?
Recorded trade is very small. The last Iraqi figure in WITS is US$1.53 million of imports from Somalia in 2014 (WITS).
How much aid and money has gone in?
Iraq's main transfers were oil and the Jasiira refinery before 1980 (Library of Congress). In December 2022 Iraq's envoy said Baghdad wanted to pay its contributions to an Arab support fund for Somalia (Iraq MFA). The UN's Financial Tracking Service records no Iraqi government humanitarian funding to Somalia since 1999 (OCHA FTS).
What about security?
Before 1991, Somali soldiers trained in Iraq, and Iraqi pilots flew for Somalia in 1977 (ACIG). Since 2024 the two have discussed counter-terrorism cooperation (SONNA). See Foreign forces in Somalia.
How does Iraq deal with Somaliland and the member states?
- 27 December 2025: Iraq's foreign ministry, then chair of the Arab League summit, called Israel's recognition of Somaliland "a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the sisterly Republic of Somalia" (Rudaw, 27 December 2025; Radio Dalsan).
- 28 December 2025: Iraq signed the joint statement of 21 states and the OIC (Radio Algérie).
- 19 April 2026: Iraq called Israel's envoy to Somaliland a "violation of Somalia's sovereignty and international law" (Shafaq News, 19 April 2026).
Have there been disputes?
In 1990–1991 Somalia sided with the coalition that reversed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait (Library of Congress). The unpaid debt remains open: Iraq asked in 2022 to agree on a payment mechanism (Iraq MFA).
How many Somalis live in Iraq?
UNHCR counted 13 Somali refugees in Iraq in 2025, against 320 in 1995 (UNHCR, 2025; UNHCR, 1995).
Where does Iraq stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia?
Iraq's diplomat Ismat Kittani led the UN operation in Somalia from November 1992 (UN Peacekeeping). Iraq hosted the May 2025 Arab summit, where Somalia's president spoke (Somalia MFA).
Related pages
Sources
- Garowe Online, 16 October 2015 · garoweonline.com
- Ministry of Finance, FY2025 debt report · mof.gov.so
- SONNA, 13 January 2025 · sonna.so
- Wikipedia's table of Somalia's relations · en.wikipedia.org
- Library of Congress, Somalia country study · countrystudies.us
- ACIG, Ogaden War 1977–1978 · acig.org
- Library of Congress · countrystudies.us
- Iraq MFA, June 2021 · mofa.gov.iq
- UN Peacekeeping, UNOSOM I · peacekeeping.un.org
- Iraq MFA, 7 December 2022 · mofa.gov.iq
- Iraq MFA, 10 April 2022 · mofa.gov.iq
- Garowe Online, 4 July 2024 · garoweonline.com
- Dawan Africa · dawan.africa
- Library of Congress · countrystudies.us
- Somalia MFA · web.mfa.gov.so
- WITS · wits.worldbank.org
- OCHA FTS · api.hpc.tools
- Rudaw, 27 December 2025 · rudaw.net
- Radio Dalsan · radiodalsan.com
- Radio Algérie · news.radioalgerie.dz
- Shafaq News, 19 April 2026 · shafaq.com
- UNHCR, 2025 · api.unhcr.org
- UNHCR, 1995 · api.unhcr.org
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