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Somali Presidential Palace

A significant information leak in the Federal Republic of Somalia's electronic visa system potentially disclosed sensitive details belonging to tens of thousands of individuals, involving US citizens, the United States diplomatic mission in the Somali nation has warned.

It said had received credible reports that "unidentified hackers" compromised the Somali government's electronic visa system, possibly exposing information belonging to roughly 35,000 individuals.

The compromised files circulating online include full names, photographs, date of birth information, marital status, residential locations and email information, per a US embassy statement published on Thursday.

"This information compromise continues to occur and potentially disclose any personal data provided to the application portal," United Kingdom officials has similarly alerted travellers.

"Assess the potential threats before applying for an electronic visa necessary for entry into the Somali nation."

Government Response

Government officials have remained silent regarding the incident. However the government has transferred its visa service from the previous platform the initial application portal toward etas.gov.so, without issuing a public clarification.

"Although American diplomatic mission in Somalia lacks the capacity to validate whether applicant details is part of the compromise, people who have submitted applications for a Somali e-visa may be affected," the US' statement stated.

Territorial Consequences

The updated visa process requires each person traveling, including those from the independently governed area of the breakaway region and the self-governing territory of the autonomous state, to apply for entry visas online.

Critics say visitors have encountered extra fees in certain regions, amounting to duplicate payments.

Political Context

The northern territory, that proclaimed statehood in 1991, administers its affairs with its own institutions but has not been internationally recognised. Somalia insists that the region remains part of its national domain.

The reported compromise contributes to ongoing disputes concerning central government and Somaliland administration concerning jurisdiction of aviation space. While Somalia regained full control of territorial skies in the past decade, Somaliland regularly disputes this agreement.

Current Developments

The dispute escalated further in recent days as Hargeisa's chief executive the regional leader said the breakaway region would not accept Somalia's e-visa and directed that aviation companies are required to secure clearance from northern authorities when approaching the region's aviation space.

Nevertheless prominent aviation companies have refused to accept travelers without Somalia's e-visa approval.

On Saturday, Somaliland's Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Aadan again insisted that "every person entering the northern territory should receive travel authorization on arrival", stating the federal electronic visa platform was not safe and warning that "individual details could be accessed by radical elements" as a result of utilizing the system.

Aviation Challenges

The stand-off has resulted in some travellers traveling to the northern region unable to board flights after being denied boarding due to absence of the federal electronic visa.

Hargeisa's air transport representative, the transport official, has informed news organizations that the directives - originally publicized previously - were implemented on 10 November.

He said carriers that refuse will be told to change course, and stated multiple planes were previously redirected.

Airspace Control Conflict

Recorded material distributed by the northern region's air transport department seems to demonstrate local air-traffic controllers providing guidance to global airline crews - a move celebrated domestically as a demonstration of Somaliland's autonomy.

But the federal aviation regulator insists it possesses sole administrative and legal control over the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (Flight Information Region), that includes the whole nation's airspace. Authorities have instructed each flight to disregard any instructions provided by sources besides central government.

Officials cautioned that failing to comply with federal and global flight regulations could create safety risks and lead to "significant legal repercussions".