Somali immigration agency ‘working very hard’ to fight extremism, cooperating with foreign partners

Somalia’s immigration agency is “working very hard” to counter extremism and improve border security in cooperation with international partners, its director general told Anadolu.

The Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA) is one of the East African country’s largest federal institutions, operating nationwide with more than 1,400 staff, with its main office in the capital Mogadishu, said Mustafa Sheikh Ali Dhuhulow.

“The immigration system has actually come a long way,” he said.

Established in 1946, the ICA operated under the Somali Police Criminal Investigation Division (CID) and later the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), evolving into a key part of the country’s internal security apparatus, according to Dhuhulow.

- Working together to battle extremism

Dhuhulow said the agency is “working very hard” to combat extremists, with well-trained staff collaborating closely with both domestic security bodies and international partners.

“We are actually trying to train our staffers to make sure that the Somali immigration (agency) can work with the rest of the world. We are making sure that there are no illegal travelers travelling from Somalia and to Somalia,” he highlighted.

Dhuhulow said as the Somali government gains international recognition, immigration is becoming an integral part of its system, with efforts underway to enhance information gathering and strengthen cooperation with international partners and government agencies.

He said the ICA is part of the country’s security apparatus and is working “very hard” to prevent members of the al-Qaeda, ISIS (Daesh) and al-Shabaab terrorist groups from entering or leaving Somalia.

He said the agency established a system called the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES) three months ago with support from the US, including training for staffers, and is “using one of the best systems now” to ensure that no one leaves or enters the country without proper records.

“We also set up an agreement with Interpol. We are working with them very closely on a watch list,” he added.

Dhuhulow said they are closely collaborating with international partners and have visited the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Norway and Finland, all of which have committed to close cooperation.

- Somalia seeks deeper collaboration with Turkish ‘brothers’

Dhuhulow highlighted Türkiye’s role as a “very close ally” in Somalia’s fight against al-Shabaab, working alongside other international partners.

“Türkiye are our brothers. They've been with us for a long time. They help us a lot,” he said.

Dhuhulow also said that Mogadishu hopes to work closely with the Turkish government to train staff and collaborate on promoting Somali passports.

“We really want them to work with us and give us support in the recognition of the passport,” he said.

Highlighting the daily Turkish flights between the two countries, he said: “We’ve come a long way, but we want them to double their support towards Somalia.”

Somalia is particularly seeking close cooperation with Türkiye on immigration, including training staff and facilitating knowledge exchange, Dhuhulow said.

He called for Turkish cooperation in several areas to help develop Somalia’s immigration system to “another level.”