Somalia and Ireland

How do Somalia and Ireland relate today?

Ireland has no embassy in Somalia and covers it from its embassy in Kenya. Its ambassador in Nairobi presented credentials to President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo on 1 August 2017 (Wikipedia, Foreign relations of Somalia, citing the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya, 1 August 2017).

Aid is the core of the tie. Irish bilateral aid to Somalia was US$17.4 million in 2022 and US$10.7 million in 2024 (OECD DAC2A). Much of it goes through two Irish charities, Concern Worldwide and Trócaire (Concern Worldwide, Somalia; Trócaire, Somalia).

The Somali community in Ireland is growing. UNHCR counted 3,281 Somali refugees and 2,264 Somali asylum seekers in Ireland at the end of 2025 (UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API).

When did contact begin?

The first large Irish presence came through aid agencies. Trócaire began working in Somalia in 1992, during the famine, and has worked in Gedo ever since (Trócaire, Somalia). Concern Worldwide marks its 40th year in Somalia in 2026 (Concern Worldwide, Somalia).

President Mary Robinson travelled to Somalia in 1992, during the famine, and then reported her findings at the UN (Wikipedia, Mary Robinson).

Who are the ambassadors and envoys?

• Ambassador O'Neill, Irish ambassador in Nairobi, presented credentials to President Farmaajo in Somalia on 1 August 2017 (Wikipedia, Foreign relations of Somalia, citing the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya).

Who built the tie?

• Mary Robinson, President of Ireland, visited Somalia in 1992 and reported to the UN (Wikipedia, Mary Robinson).
• Lieutenant Colonel Dorcha Lee, Irish officer, stayed on as UNOSOM's senior coordination staff officer until the mission ended in February 1995 (Defence Forces Ireland, past missions).
• Trócaire, the Irish Catholic agency, has run health and resilience work in Gedo since 1992 (Trócaire, Somalia).
• Concern Worldwide, the Irish agency, works across seven Somali regions with Irish Aid among its funders (Concern Worldwide, Somalia).

Which leaders have visited?

• 1992: President Mary Robinson visited Somalia during the famine (Wikipedia, Mary Robinson).
• 1 August 2017: the Irish ambassador in Nairobi presented credentials to President Farmaajo in Somalia (Wikipedia, Foreign relations of Somalia).

How much do they trade?

UN Comtrade records Ireland's trade with Somalia:

• 2015: exports US$3.08 million; imports US$24,762 (UN Comtrade)
• 2020: exports US$8.72 million; imports US$2,111 (UN Comtrade)
• 2023: exports US$274,683; imports US$167,881 (UN Comtrade)
• 2024: exports US$867,255; imports US$18,129 (UN Comtrade)

Machinery made up US$6.45 million of the 2020 exports (UN Comtrade, HS chapters, 2020). In 2023 the largest groups were pharmaceuticals and machinery (UN Comtrade, HS chapters, 2023).

How much aid and money has gone in?

Irish bilateral aid to Somalia, in current US dollars, has been steady (OECD DAC2A):

• 2010: US$6.6 million
• 2011: US$11.2 million
• 2015: US$7.2 million
• 2020: US$7.7 million
• 2022: US$17.4 million
• 2023: US$10.3 million
• 2024: US$10.7 million

Irish Aid funds Trócaire's farmer training and a resilience programme focused on women in Gedo (Trócaire, Somalia). It also funds Concern's emergency preparedness and response programme in Somalia (Concern Worldwide, Somalia). In 2025 Concern reached over 372,000 people directly in Somalia (Concern Worldwide, Somalia).

What about security?

The Irish Defence Forces sent 1 Transport Company to UNOSOM II in September 1993, with more than 40 vehicles at Camp Shannon in Baidoa. The Irish contingent withdrew in September 1994 (Defence Forces Ireland, past missions). Ten Irish personnel served with EUTM Somalia in Uganda from April 2010 to April 2014 (Defence Forces Ireland, past missions). See Foreign forces in Somalia.

How does Ireland deal with Somaliland and the member states?

Irish work has centred on the south. Irish troops were based in Baidoa, now in South West State, in 1993 and 1994 (Defence Forces Ireland, past missions). Trócaire's health facilities are in Gedo, in Jubaland, including Dollow and Luuq hospitals (Trócaire, Somalia).

How many Somalis live in Ireland?

The 2022 census counted 2,419 people born in Somalia living in Ireland, 842 of them Irish citizens (CSO Ireland, Census 2022, F5014). See Somalis in Ireland.

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

Ireland served in the UN operation of 1993 to 1995 and in the EU training mission from 2010 to 2014 (Defence Forces Ireland, past missions). Its president took the 1992 famine to the UN (Wikipedia, Mary Robinson).

Related pages

• Foreign forces in Somalia
• UN intervention, 1992 to 1995
• Somalis in Ireland
• Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo
• South West State

Sources

1. Defence Forces Ireland. "Past missions" (UNOSOM II; EUTM Somalia). military.ie. Checked 2026-11-13.
2. Trócaire. "Somalia." trocaire.org. Checked 2026-11-13.
3. Concern Worldwide. "Somalia." concern.net. Checked 2026-11-13.
4. OECD. DAC2A, ODA disbursements to Somalia by donor. sdmx.oecd.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
5. UN Comtrade. Ireland–Somalia trade, 2015 to 2024. comtradeapi.un.org. Checked 2026-11-13.
6. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Ireland, 2015 to 2025. api.unhcr.org. Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Central Statistics Office Ireland. Census 2022, table F5014. cso.ie. Checked 2026-11-12.
8. Wikipedia. "Foreign relations of Somalia" (citing the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya, 1 August 2017) and "Mary Robinson" (used where the underlying sources could not be opened). en.wikipedia.org. Checked 2026-11-13.