Asia and the Pacific
Somalia and Malaysia
Malaysia and Somalia are linked mainly by trade, education and refugees. Malaysia exported US$96.9 million of goods to Somalia in 2024, mostly palm oil and dairy products, and about 2,945 Somalis were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia in February 2026. A Malaysian soldier was killed with the UN force in Mogadishu on 3 October 1993.
How do Somalia and Malaysia relate today?
Somalia has an ambassador in Malaysia. In June 2025 Ambassador Ali Mohamed Abukar (Wolf) took part in a visit to Kuala Lumpur by Education Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Mohamed Omar (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
The main links today:
- Trade: Malaysia exported US$96.9 million of goods to Somalia in 2024 (UN Comtrade, 2024).
- Education: in July 2026 Hormuud University in Mogadishu sent its first students abroad, on an exchange with Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Dawan Africa, 27 July 2026).
- Refugees: about 2,945 Somalis were registered with UNHCR in Malaysia at the end of February 2026 (UNHCR Malaysia, Figures at a glance).
When did contact begin?
The first recorded state contact found for this page is Malaysia's part in the UN operation in Somalia in 1993. A Malaysian soldier was killed in Mogadishu on 3 October 1993, alongside 18 US soldiers (Human Rights Watch, World Report 1994).
The date on which the two countries established diplomatic relations was not found in records that could be opened for this page.
Who are the ambassadors and envoys?
- Ali Mohamed Abukar (Wolf): Somali ambassador to Malaysia, named in June 2025 (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Malaysian envoys accredited to Somalia were not found in records that could be opened for this page.
Who built the tie?
- Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, Somalia's education minister, led a delegation to Kuala Lumpur and met Somali students there on 9 June 2025 (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
- Ali Mohamed Omar, state minister for foreign affairs, was part of the same delegation, which planned meetings with senior Malaysian officials (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
- Abdi Omar Shuriye, president of Hormuud University, sent the university's first student group to Universiti Malaysia Perlis in July 2026 (Dawan Africa).
What agreements have they signed?
No bilateral treaty or memorandum was found in records that could be opened for this page. The 2026 student exchange runs under Universiti Malaysia Perlis's International Student Hosting Programme (Dawan Africa).
Which leaders have visited?
- June 2025: Education Minister Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir and State Minister Ali Mohamed Omar in Kuala Lumpur (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
No visit by a Malaysian head of government or minister to Somalia was found.
How much do they trade?
Malaysia's reported trade with Somalia, from UN Comtrade:
- 2010: exports US$9.4 million (UN Comtrade, 2010).
- 2015: exports US$66.7 million (UN Comtrade, 2015).
- 2020: exports US$89.9 million, imports US$0.5 million (UN Comtrade, 2020).
- 2023: exports US$122.1 million (UN Comtrade, 2023).
- 2024: exports US$96.9 million, imports US$0.7 million (UN Comtrade, 2024).
In 2024 animal and vegetable fats and oils, mainly palm oil, made up US$59.4 million of these exports, and dairy products US$25.9 million, followed by soap (UN Comtrade, 2024, by product).
How much aid and money has gone in?
No Malaysian government funding to Somalia appears in the UN's Financial Tracking Service records checked for this page (OCHA FTS, 2011). Malaysia's main contribution is education: about 1,500 Somali students were in Malaysia in 2011, mostly at public universities (Hiiraan Online, 21 February 2011).
What about security?
Malaysian troops served with UNOSOM II in Mogadishu, and one was killed on 3 October 1993 (Human Rights Watch, World Report 1994). See UN intervention 1992–1995, Battle of Mogadishu 1993 and Foreign forces in Somalia.
How does Malaysia deal with Somaliland and the member states?
No Malaysian office, agreement or statement on Somaliland or the member states was found in the sources used. Somalia's 2025 delegation came from the federal government (Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs).
Have there been disputes?
No dispute between the two governments was found in the sources used.
How many Somalis live in Malaysia?
UNHCR listed about 2,945 Somalis among registered refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia at the end of February 2026 (UNHCR Malaysia). See Malaysia (Somali diaspora).
Where does Malaysia stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia?
Malaysia contributed troops to the UN operation in Somalia in 1993 (Human Rights Watch, World Report 1994). Both countries are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Related pages
Sources
- Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs · web.mfa.gov.so
- UN Comtrade, 2024 · comtradeapi.un.org
- Dawan Africa, 27 July 2026 · dawan.africa
- UNHCR Malaysia, Figures at a glance · unhcr.org
- Human Rights Watch, World Report 1994 · hrw.org
- UN Comtrade, 2010 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade, 2015 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade, 2020 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade, 2023 · comtradeapi.un.org
- UN Comtrade, 2024, by product · comtradeapi.un.org
- OCHA FTS, 2011 · api.hpc.tools
- Hiiraan Online, 21 February 2011 · hiiraan.com
- OIC · oic-oci.org
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Where this matters
Same era
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- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Somalia and ChinaChina–Somalia relations since 1960: ambassadors, Zhou Enlai's 1964 visit, the National Theatre, Benadir Hospital, trade, aid and Taiwan.
- Somalia and JapanJapan–Somalia relations: the Tokyo embassy of 1982 to 1990, the 2014 Abe–Hassan Sheikh meeting, JICA projects, aid by year and anti-piracy work.
- Somalia and IndiaIndia–Somalia relations: Indian Ocean trade, ties since 1960, UNOSOM II, US$800 million a year in trade, scholarships, aid and Operation Sankalp.
- Somalia and PakistanPakistan–Somalia relations: OIC ties, Pakistani troops in UNOSOM, rice trade, Somali students, the Karachi consulate and the 2026 security talks.
- Somalia and BangladeshSomalia–Bangladesh relations: UNOSOM troops, the Jahan Moni and MV Abdullah piracy cases, trade in food and sugar, envoys and talks from 2021 to 2026.
- Somalia and AustraliaSomalia and Australia: 1978 fisheries help, UN missions and Operation Solace, relations since 2010, aid by year, trade and Somali Australians.