MOGADISHU (Somaliguardian) – Somalia’s federal government has ordered all ships entering any port within the country’s internationally recognised borders – including Berbera in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland – to comply with a new Electronic Cargo Tracking Number (ECTN) system, escalating a simmering standoff over airspace and border controls.
In a decree issued in September, Mogadishu said every vessel must obtain an ECTN before arrival “irrespective of the administrative arrangements” of the port it is calling at. Ships that fail to comply will face penalties. To secure the electronic authorisation, carriers must upload a bill of lading, commercial invoice and freight invoice to the government’s portal.
The move comes as Somaliland, which has operated independently since 1991 but is not internationally recognised, seeks to resist what it sees as efforts by the federal government to exert authority over its borders. For weeks, Hargeisa has pushed back against the implementation of Somalia’s new e-visa system, which airlines began applying to passengers flying into Somaliland despite the region’s objections. Officials in Somaliland have also challenged Mogadishu’s control over national airspace – including skies above their territory.
Ismail Ahmed, the founder of WorldRemit and a prominent Somaliland advocate, warned that the cargo-tracking system could entrench federal oversight if global carriers fall in line.
“This mirrors the e-visa scandal: weaponising technical systems to entrap Somaliland. Once international carriers and insurers adopt a compliance rule, reversing it becomes extremely difficult. That is the danger,” Ahmed said.
He added that Mogadishu was now pushing to cement the policy internationally. “To escalate the scheme, Hassan Sheikh has sent a lobbying delegation, led by Mohamed Ali Nur ‘Americo,’ General Manager of Mogadishu Port, and Abdukadir Mohamed Nur, Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, to London to sell this narrative to the International Maritime Organisation, insurers, and major shipping lines.”
The federal government maintains that the ECTN system is a standard regulatory tool designed to improve maritime security, curb smuggling and ensure accurate revenue collection. But for Somaliland, the directive is the latest in what it views as an expanding campaign to undermine its autonomy.
The dispute leaves international carriers, insurers and logistics firms caught between Somaliland’s de facto control of its ports and airports, and Somalia’s de jure sovereignty recognised by global institutions – a tension that may grow sharper as the new cargo-tracking rules come into force.
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