# Somalia and Syria > Somalia and Syria: relations since 1964, Syrian pilots in the 1977 war, Somali refugees in Syria, the 2025 ambassador and Syria's position on Somaliland. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/relations/syria/ Last checked: 2026-11-13 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## How do Somalia and Syria relate today? Somalia has a resident ambassador in Damascus. Abiib Muse Farah gave a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on 2 September 2025 ([SANA, 2 September 2025](https://sana.sy/en/syria/2265181/)). He then presented them to President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who sent greetings to President [Hassan Sheikh Mohamud](/en/people/hassan-sheikh-mohamud/) ([TRT Afrika, September 2025](https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/9be1be41f104)). On 28 July 2026 Farah met Mohammad al-Ahmad, the Syrian foreign ministry's adviser for Arab affairs, to discuss cooperation ([SANA, 28 July 2026](https://sana.sy/en/politics/2332795/)). In May 2025 President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud welcomed the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the Baghdad Arab summit ([Somalia MFA](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somali-president-reaffirms-support-for-palestine-at-baghdad-summit/)). Recorded trade is very small. Syria's last figures in WITS show exports to Somalia of US$783,000 in 2010 ([WITS](https://wits.worldbank.org/API/V1/SDMX/V21/datasource/tradestats-trade/reporter/SYR/year/all/partner/SOM/product/Total/indicator/XPRT-TRD-VL)). ## When did contact begin? Relations date from 14 December 1964, according to a CIA foreign-broadcast report of that year, as cited in [Wikipedia's table of Somalia's relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foreign_relations_of_Somalia). Before the Ogaden War, Somali soldiers trained in Syria. In July 1977 some of Somalia's MiG-21 missions were flown by Iraqi and Syrian pilots ([ACIG, Ogaden War 1977–1978](https://acig.org/artman/publish/article_188.shtml)). President [Siad Barre](/en/people/siad-barre/) toured Syria, Iraq and other states at the turn of 1978 to seek support (same source). ## Who are the ambassadors and envoys? - **Abiib Muse Farah**, Somalia's ambassador in Damascus since September 2025 ([SANA](https://sana.sy/en/syria/2265181/)). He is also non-resident ambassador to Jordan ([Petra, 6 September 2026](https://petra.gov.jo/en/news/king-accepts-credentials-of-new-ambassadors-28)). No Syrian ambassador to Somalia appears in the sources found. ## Who built the tie? - **Ahmad al-Sharaa**, Syria's president, received Ambassador Farah in 2025 and praised the "historical relations" with Mogadishu ([TRT Afrika](https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/9be1be41f104)). - **Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani**, Syria's foreign minister, received the credentials copy on 2 September 2025 ([SANA](https://sana.sy/en/syria/2265181/)). - **Ahmed Moallim Fiqi**, then Somalia's foreign minister, wrote to the new Syrian foreign minister in January 2025 and said he planned to visit Damascus ([Hiiraan Online, January 2025](https://www.hiiraan.com/news4/2025/jan/199682/somali_government_moves_to_enhance_diplomatic_ties_with_syria_after_leadership_change.aspx)). - **Faisal Mekdad**, Syria's former foreign minister, held the first phone call with a Somali foreign minister since the Syrian war began in 2011 ([Somali Guardian](https://www.somaliguardian.com/news/somalia-news/somalia-syria-foreign-ministers-hold-phone-talks-for-the-first-time/)). - **Siad Barre**, Somalia's president, sought Syrian backing during the Ogaden War ([ACIG](https://acig.org/artman/publish/article_188.shtml)). ## What agreements have they signed? No bilateral agreements appear in the sources found. ## Which leaders have visited? - **Late 1977 to early 1978**: President Siad Barre visited Syria ([ACIG](https://acig.org/artman/publish/article_188.shtml)). - **September 2025**: Ambassador Farah received at the presidential palace in Damascus ([TRT Afrika](https://www.trtafrika.com/english/article/9be1be41f104)). ## How much do they trade? Syria's exports to Somalia ([WITS](https://wits.worldbank.org/API/V1/SDMX/V21/datasource/tradestats-trade/reporter/SYR/year/all/partner/SOM/product/Total/indicator/XPRT-TRD-VL)): - 2006: US$1.43 million - 2009: US$962,000 - 2010: US$783,000 Syria's imports from Somalia were US$859,000 in 2008 and US$684,000 in 2010 ([WITS](https://wits.worldbank.org/API/V1/SDMX/V21/datasource/tradestats-trade/reporter/SYR/year/all/partner/SOM/product/Total/indicator/MPRT-TRD-VL)). No later Syrian figures are published. ## How much aid and money has gone in? The UN's Financial Tracking Service records no Syrian funding to Somalia since 1999 ([OCHA FTS](https://api.hpc.tools/v1/public/fts/flow?countryISO3=SOM&year=2011)). Somalia owes Syria no debt in the Ministry of Finance's end-2025 list ([Ministry of Finance, FY2025 debt report](https://mof.gov.so/sites/default/files/Publications/FY2025%20Annual%20Debt%20Management%20Report%20(ADMR)%20Report%20No.2_mq%20(1).pdf)). ## What about security? Syria trained Somali soldiers before 1977, and Syrian pilots flew for Somalia in the Ogaden War ([ACIG](https://acig.org/artman/publish/article_188.shtml)). No later military ties appear in the sources found. See [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/). ## How does Syria deal with Somaliland and the member states? On 28 December 2025 Syria's foreign ministry called Israel's recognition of [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/) "a direct infringement on the sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia." It warned that "any attempts to create parallel entities or support separatist projects represent a dangerous precedent" ([UNA-OIC, 28 December 2025](https://una-oic.org/en/ALL/2025/12/28/Syria-condemns-the-mutual-recognition-between-the-parties/)). Syria was not among the 21 signatories of that day's joint statement ([Radio Algérie](https://news.radioalgerie.dz/en/node/76724)). No dealings with Somaliland or the member states appear in the sources found. ## Have there been disputes? No disputes between the two governments appear in the sources found. ## How many Somalis live in Syria? UNHCR counted 2,762 Somali refugees in Syria in 2010 and 205 in 2025 ([UNHCR, 2010](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=300&yearFrom=2010&yearTo=2010&coo=SOM&coa_all=true); [UNHCR, 2025](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=300&yearFrom=2025&yearTo=2025&coo=SOM&coa_all=true)). In 1995 the figure was 1,199 ([UNHCR, 1995](https://api.unhcr.org/population/v1/population/?limit=300&yearFrom=1995&yearTo=1995&coo=SOM&coa_all=true)). ## Where does Syria stand in the UN and other bodies on Somalia? Syria backs Somalia's territorial integrity ([UNA-OIC](https://una-oic.org/en/ALL/2025/12/28/Syria-condemns-the-mutual-recognition-between-the-parties/)). Somalia's president welcomed the lifting of sanctions on Syria at the 2025 Arab summit ([Somalia MFA](https://web.mfa.gov.so/somali-president-reaffirms-support-for-palestine-at-baghdad-summit/)). ## Related pages - [Somalia and Iraq](/en/relations/iraq/) - [Somalia and Jordan](/en/relations/jordan/) - [Somalia and the Arab League](/en/relations/arab-league/) - [Ogaden War, 1977](/en/history/ogaden-war-1977/) - [Foreign forces in Somalia](/en/institutions/foreign-forces-in-somalia/) --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.