Taiwan condemned Somalia to ban travelers with Taiwanese passports from entering or transit into the country of East Africa.
The ban entered into force on Wednesday following an order made by the Somali aviation authorities last week, the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Somalia has not yet commented on the prohibition that occurs while Taiwan, an autrimated island claimed by China, stimulates links with Somaliland, which has separated from Somalia 34 years ago, but most of which is international disagreement.
In 2020, Somaliland and Taiwan installed embassies in the capitals of the other, angry with China and Somalia.
The Somalia Civil Aviation Authority has published an opinion on airlines saying that Taiwanese passports “will no longer be valid for entry or transit in the Federal Republic of Somalia” from April 30, the Taiwan Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly protested the action of Somalia in the instigation of China to restrict the freedom of the trip and the security of Taiwanese nationals and demanded that the Somali government immediately revoke the opinion,” said the ministry.
The ministry urged Taiwanese to go to Somalia or Somaliland for their own security before Somalia invented the ban, the Taiwanese media reported.
Neither somaliland nor Somalia commented.
China has said that it “strongly appreciates” the ban, calling it a “legitimate measure” which “reflects the firm membership of Somalia to the principle of China,” the spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Guo Jiakun said on Wednesday, according to AFP news agency.
Taiwan has its own constitution and organizes regular multipart elections to choose its own leaders.
China insists that Taiwan is part of its territory and threatened to use the force if necessary to put the island under its control.
After a diplomatic thrust of China, Taiwan – officially known as the Republic of China – is only recognized by a handful of countries.
Somaliland, which is not recognized by any other sovereign state, unilaterally declared the independence of the rest of Somalia in 1991, following the collapse of the dictatorial regime in Somalia led by the late General Mohamed Siad Barre.
Somaliland also organizes regular elections, while many parts of Somalia are under the control of the militant group Al-Shabab, which is linked to Al-Qaeda.
Somalia considers Somaliland as part of its territory and has condemned Ethiopia for having concluded an agreement with the Somaliland authorities to rent one of its ports.
