# Somalia and Spain

> Spain and Somalia: the Alakrana case, Atalanta's Rota headquarters, EU training mission, ambassador accreditation in 2012, visits, trade and aid.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/relations/spain/
Last checked: 2026-11-13
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## How do Somalia and Spain relate today?

Spain has no embassy in Somalia, and Somalia has none in Spain ([Wikipedia, Somalia–Spain relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations)). In December 2012 Spain began accrediting its ambassador in Kenya to Somalia's new government ([eldiario.es/EFE, 3 December 2012](https://www.eldiario.es/politica/espana-proceso-representante-autoridades-somalia_1_5516699.html)).

The sea is the core of the tie. Spain hosts the Operation Headquarters of the EU's naval operation Atalanta at Rota, in Cádiz, and the operation commander is a Spanish admiral ([EU Naval Force, Chain of command](https://eunavfor.eu/chain-of-command)). Atalanta's mandate runs to February 2027 ([EU Naval Force, Mission](https://eunavfor.eu/mission)).

Trade is growing. Spain exported goods worth US$20.2 million to Somalia in 2024, mostly food products, vehicles and oils ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M)).

## When did contact begin?

Somalia and Spain established diplomatic relations on 27 June 1968, according to Somalia's foreign relations list ([Wikipedia, Foreign relations of Somalia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Somalia)). After the Somali state collapsed in 1991, contact was limited until piracy brought Spanish fishing boats and warships to Somali waters in 2008 and 2009.

When Somali pirates seized the Basque tuna boat Alakrana in October 2009, Spain had no extradition treaty with Somalia ([TIME, 11 November 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)). Its ambassador to Kenya met Somalia's prime minister to seek a solution ([TIME, 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)).

## Who are the ambassadors and envoys?

- **Spanish ambassador to Kenya**, accredited to Somalia from late 2012 after a decision announced by Secretary of State Gonzalo de Benito ([eldiario.es/EFE, 3 December 2012](https://www.eldiario.es/politica/espana-proceso-representante-autoridades-somalia_1_5516699.html)).
- **Nicolás Martín**, Spain's ambassador to Kenya, met Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke in Nairobi during the Alakrana case in 2009 ([Wikipedia, Somalia–Spain relations, citing Reuters](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations); [TIME, 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)).

## Who built the tie?

- **Gonzalo de Benito**, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, told the EU's Horn of Africa envoy Alexander Rondos on 3 December 2012 that Spain would accredit its Nairobi ambassador to Somalia ([eldiario.es/EFE, 2012](https://www.eldiario.es/politica/espana-proceso-representante-autoridades-somalia_1_5516699.html)).
- **Carme Chacón**, Minister of Defence, received the Somali parliament speaker in Madrid on 25 March 2010 and pledged EU help for Somali security institutions ([Spanish Ministry of Defence, 25 March 2010](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html)).
- **[Sheikh](/en/regions/sheikh/) Mohamed Adan Nur (Aden Madobe)**, speaker of the [Transitional Federal Parliament](/en/history/transitional-federal-parliament-2004-2012/), led that 2010 visit and backed the EU training mission ([Spanish Ministry of Defence, 2010](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html)).
- **Colonel Ricardo González Elul**, Spanish head of the new EU Training Mission in Somalia, attended the 2010 meeting ([Spanish Ministry of Defence, 2010](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html)).
- **Francisco Caamaño**, Justice Minister, said in November 2009 that the two Somalis held over the Alakrana had to be tried ([TIME, 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)).
- **Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke**, Prime Minister of Somalia, negotiated with Spain's ambassador over the Alakrana in 2009 ([TIME, 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)).
- **Vice Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave** became Atalanta's operation commander when the headquarters moved to Rota on 29 March 2019 ([Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1083](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2018/1083/oj)).
- **Abdirahman Duale Beyle**, Somalia's foreign minister, made the first visit by a Somali foreign minister to Spain in July 2014, meeting José Manuel García-Margallo ([Wikipedia, Somalia–Spain relations, citing AllAfrica, July 2014](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations)).

## What agreements have they signed?

Spain's main framework with Somalia is EU law on Atalanta: Joint Action 2008/851/CFSP and, for the Rota move, Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1083 of 30 July 2018 ([EU Naval Force](https://eunavfor.eu/mission); [EUR-Lex](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2018/1083/oj)). The current mandate is Council Decision (CFSP) 2024/3186 ([EU Naval Force](https://eunavfor.eu/mission)).

## Which leaders have visited?

- **25 March 2010**: Somali parliament speaker Sheikh Mohamed Adan Nur in Madrid, at the Ministry of Defence ([Spanish Ministry of Defence](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html)).
- **July 2014**: Foreign Minister Abdirahman Duale Beyle in Madrid ([Wikipedia, citing AllAfrica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations)).

## How much do they trade?

UN Comtrade records Spain's trade with Somalia:

- 2015: exports US$6.9 million; imports US$1.2 million ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2015&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))
- 2020: exports US$13.4 million; imports US$2.5 million ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2020&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))
- 2023: exports US$16.7 million; imports US$140,267 ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2023&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))
- 2024: exports US$20.2 million; imports US$554,839 ([UN Comtrade](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M))

In 2024 the largest export groups were food preparations (US$10.2 million), vehicles (US$2.9 million), fats and oils (US$2.4 million) and textile articles ([UN Comtrade, HS chapters, 2024](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=AG2&flowCode=X)).

## How much aid and money has gone in?

Spanish bilateral aid to Somalia is small. In current US dollars it was US$16.1 million in the 2011 famine year, then mostly under US$2 million: US$1.3 million in 2020, US$1.6 million in 2023 and US$0.5 million in 2024 ([OECD DAC2A](https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC2@DF_DAC2A,/NOR+SWE+DNK+FIN+BEL+ESP+IRL.SOM.206..V?startPeriod=2010&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels)).

In June 2016 Spain gave about 5,000 items of kit, including boots and berets, to Somali soldiers training at the General Dhagabadan centre, formerly the Jazeera Training Camp ([Infodefensa, 11 June 2016](https://www.infodefensa.com/texto-diario/mostrar/3080277/espana-entrega-material-militar-ejercito-somalia)).

## What about security?

Spain has been a lead nation in the EU's Somalia missions and, with France, promoted the Atalanta anti-piracy operation launched in late 2008 ([Spanish Ministry of Defence, 2010](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html); [EU Naval Force](https://eunavfor.eu/mission)). Since 29 March 2019 Atalanta's headquarters has been at Rota, Spain, and by November 2026 the operation had handed 177 suspected pirates to courts ([Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1083](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2018/1083/oj); [EU Naval Force, Key facts](https://eunavfor.eu/key-facts-and-figures)). Spanish officers also trained Somali soldiers through the EU training mission and wrote the army's first counter-IED manual in 2021 ([Infodefensa, 13 June 2021](https://www.infodefensa.com/texto-diario/mostrar/2964153/video-somalia-recibe-primer-manual-c-ied-elaborado-militares-espanoles)). See [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/) and [Piracy off Somalia](/en/institutions/piracy-off-somalia/).

## Have there been disputes?

The Alakrana case was the main friction. On 2 October 2009 pirates seized the Basque tuna boat with 36 crew, and a Spanish frigate arrested two suspects the next day ([TIME, 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)).

Spain tried the two arrested Somalis rather than handing them back, while the pirates made their return a condition of releasing the crew ([TIME, 2009](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/)). Somalia's government discussed an extradition with Spain's ambassador, but the two men stayed in Spain ([Wikipedia, Somalia–Spain relations, citing Spanish press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations)).

The crew were freed on 17 November 2009, and in 2011 a Spanish court sentenced the two Somalis to 439 years each ([Wikipedia, Somalia–Spain relations, citing Reuters and The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations)). Since 23 June 2026 the EU, including Spain, has restricted visas for Somali nationals over readmission ([Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi, on the EU Council decision, 8 July 2026](https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/kenya-nairobi/current/news/the-council-of-the-european-union-restricts-visa-provision-for-somali-nationals/)).

## How many Somalis live in Spain?

At the end of 2025 UNHCR counted 2,543 Somali refugees and 1,100 Somali asylum seekers in Spain, up from 1,588 and 230 a year earlier ([UNHCR Refugee Data Finder API](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=50&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=SPA)). There is no Spain page in the diaspora section yet.

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

In 2012 Spain was the second-largest contributor to Atalanta and also took part in NATO's Ocean Shield and the EU training missions ([eldiario.es/EFE, 2012](https://www.eldiario.es/politica/espana-proceso-representante-autoridades-somalia_1_5516699.html)). During its 2010 EU Presidency it backed the Djibouti peace process facilitated by the UN ([Spanish Ministry of Defence, 2010](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html)).

## Related pages

- [Piracy off Somalia](/en/institutions/piracy-off-somalia/)
- [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/)
- [Aden Madobe](/en/people/aden-madobe/)
- [Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke](/en/people/omar-abdirashid-sharmarke/)
- [Abdirahman Duale Beyle](/en/people/abdirahman-duale-beyle/)

## Sources

1. eldiario.es / EFE. "España inicia el proceso para acreditar a su representante ante las autoridades de Somalia." 3 December 2012. [eldiario.es](https://www.eldiario.es/politica/espana-proceso-representante-autoridades-somalia_1_5516699.html). Checked 2026-11-12.
2. Spanish Ministry of Defence. Visit of the President of the Somali Parliament. 25 March 2010. [defensa.gob.es](https://www.defensa.gob.es/gabinete/notasPrensa/2010/03/DGC_100325_Visita_Presidente_Parlamento_Somalia.html). Checked 2026-11-12.
3. TIME. "Pirate Capture Complicates Hostage Issue." 11 November 2009. [time.com](https://time.com/archive/6948558/pirate-capture-complicates-hostage-issue/). Checked 2026-11-12.
4. EUR-Lex. Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1083 of 30 July 2018. [eur-lex.europa.eu](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dec/2018/1083/oj). Checked 2026-11-12.
5. EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta. "Mission," "Chain of command" and "Key facts and figures." [eunavfor.eu](https://eunavfor.eu/mission). Checked 2026-11-12.
6. Infodefensa. Spain hands military material to the Somali army. 11 June 2016. [infodefensa.com](https://www.infodefensa.com/texto-diario/mostrar/3080277/espana-entrega-material-militar-ejercito-somalia). Checked 2026-11-12.
7. Infodefensa. Somalia receives first counter-IED manual written by Spanish military. 13 June 2021. [infodefensa.com](https://www.infodefensa.com/texto-diario/mostrar/2964153/video-somalia-recibe-primer-manual-c-ied-elaborado-militares-espanoles). Checked 2026-11-12.
8. OECD. DAC2A, ODA disbursements to Somalia by donor. [sdmx.oecd.org](https://sdmx.oecd.org/public/rest/data/OECD.DCD.FSD,DSD_DAC2@DF_DAC2A,/NOR+SWE+DNK+FIN+BEL+ESP+IRL.SOM.206..V?startPeriod=2010&dimensionAtObservation=AllDimensions&format=csvfilewithlabels). Checked 2026-11-12.
9. UN Comtrade. Spain–Somalia trade, 2015 to 2024. [comtradeapi.un.org](https://comtradeapi.un.org/public/v1/preview/C/A/HS?reporterCode=724&partnerCode=706&period=2024&cmdCode=TOTAL&flowCode=X,M). Checked 2026-11-12.
10. Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi. EU Council visa restrictions for Somali nationals. 8 July 2026. [swedenabroad.se](https://www.swedenabroad.se/en/embassies/kenya-nairobi/current/news/the-council-of-the-european-union-restricts-visa-provision-for-somali-nationals/). Checked 2026-11-12.
11. Wikipedia. "Somalia–Spain relations" and "Foreign relations of Somalia" (used where the underlying Spanish press and Reuters pages could not be opened). [en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somalia%E2%80%93Spain_relations). Checked 2026-11-12.
12. UNHCR. Refugee Data Finder API, Somalia to Spain, 2024 to 2025. [api.unhcr.org](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=50&yearFrom=2024&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa=SPA). Checked 2026-11-12.

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