Somalia barred Taiwanese passport holders from entering the country after Taipei sought stronger ties with the breakaway region of Somaliland.
Mogadishu claims Somaliland as its territory — as China does with Taiwan — but Taipei and Hargeisa, Somaliland’s capital, have exchanged ambassadors. Taiwan has also backed Somaliland’s claim to be independently recognized, and supported it with training and aid.
Somalia’s decision is a win for China as it expands its influence across Africa: Beijing has long tried to push African governments to stop recognising Taipei diplomatically in order to isolate Taiwan.
The Somalia-Somaliland dispute is “one of the Horn of Africa’s most complicated and unresolved issues,” an analyst told The New York Times, and the passport decision adds a worrying “global geopolitical element.”