Somalia–Yemen relations are

bilateral relations Bilateralism is the conduct of political, economic, or cultural relations between two sovereign states. It is in contrast to unilateralism or multilateralism, which is activity by a single state or jointly by multiple states, respectively. When ...

between

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

and

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. Both members of the

Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq, ...

, the two countries formally established diplomatic ties on December 18, 1960.

History

Ancient

Relations between the modern-day territories of Somalia and Yemen stretch back to antiquity. A number of both

Yemeni Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-eastern part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south ...

and Somali clans trace descent to the latter region. The 1st century CE ''

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'' (), also known by its Latin name as the , is a Greco-Roman world, Greco-Roman periplus written in Koine Greek that describes navigation and Roman commerce, trading opportunities from Roman Egyptian ports lik ...

'', among other documents, also reports early commercial exchanges between traders inhabiting city-states on the northern Somalia littoral with

Himyarite Himyar was a polity in the southern highlands of Yemen, as well as the name of the region which it claimed. Until 110 BCE, it was integrated into the Qataban, Qatabanian kingdom, afterwards being recognized as an independent kingdom. According ...

and Sabaean merchants. Numerous artefacts dating from this period have been uncovered in Somalia, such as at the Damo site in the northeastern

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

region.Neville Chittick, ''An Archaeological Reconnaissance of the Horn: The British-Somali Expedition'', (1975), pp.117-133. In the Middle Ages, the Somali Sultanates often recruited troops from Yemen's

Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...

region. During the medieval period, disgruntled Yemenis from the Hadhrami wars additionally sought and received asylum in Somali Kingdoms like

Ajuran Empire The Ajuran Sultanate (, ), natively referred to as Ajuuraan, and often simply Ajuran/Ajur, was a Muslim empire in the Horn of Africa that thrived from the late medieval and early modern period. Founded by Somali Sultans its rise to prominence ...

and

Adal Sultanate The Adal Sultanate, also known as the Adal Empire or Barr Saʿad dīn (alt. spelling ''Adel Sultanate'', ''Adal Sultanate'') (), was a medieval Sunni Muslim empire which was located in the Horn of Africa. It was founded by Sabr ad-Din III on th ...

Medieval

Relationships between Somalis and Yemenis in medieval periods differed from the coastal Somalis who had good trade relations with Yemenis, and the proud Somalis who viewed Arabs in general in a negative light. Some western travellers reported on these accounts a follows:

Contemporary

in turn unconditionally opened its borders to Somali nationals following the outbreak of the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

in Somalia in the early 1990s. Over the ensuing interim period, the Yemeni authorities maintained relations with Somalia's newly established

Transitional National Government The Transitional National Government (TNG) was the internationally recognized central government of Somalia from 2000 to 2004. Overview The TNG was established in 20 April–5 May 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Arta, Djibo ...

and its successor the

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) (, , ) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Somalia from 14 October 2004 until 20 August 2012. It was established in Nairobi, Kenya, following the Transitional National Govern ...

. In September 2012, at a mini-summit on Somalia held during the 67th session of the UN General Assembly, Yemeni Foreign Minister

Abu Bakr al-Qirbi Abu Bakr Abdullah al-Qirbi () is a Yemeni diplomat who was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Yemen from 2001 to 2014. He later also held the same role in the Houthis' contested cabinet formed in 2016, in spite of his former opposition to the Houthis ...

, on behalf of

President of Yemen The president of the Republic of Yemen () is the head of state of Yemen. Under the Constitution of Yemen, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces and head of the executive branch of the Yemeni government. As of 7 Apri ...

Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi (born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former military officer who served as the second president of Yemen from 2012 until his resignation in 2022. He previously served as the second vice president of Yemen fro ...

, welcomed the Somali government's completion of its scheduled shift from a transitional administration to a permanent one and urged the international community to continue its support for the ongoing post-conflict reconstruction efforts in Somalia. The

Federal Government of Somalia The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS; , DFS; ) is the internationally recognised government of Somalia, and the longest running attempt to create a central government in Somalia since the collapse of the Somali Democratic Republic in 1991. It ...

was later established on August 20, 2012, representing the first permanent central government in the country since the start of the conflict. The following month,

Hassan Sheikh Mohamud Hassan Sheikh Mohamud (Somali language, Somali: ''Xasan Sheekh Maxamuud''; ; born 29 November 1955) is a Somali politician serving as the president of Somalia since 15 May 2022. He previously held the office from 2012 to 2017. Hassan was previo ...

was elected as the new government's first President. The election was welcomed by the Yemeni authorities, who re-affirmed Yemen's continued support for Somalia's government, its territorial integrity and sovereignty. During the

Houthi insurgency The Houthi insurgency, also known as the Houthi rebellion, the Sa'dah Wars, or the Sa'dah conflict, was a military rebellion pitting Zaidi Shia Houthis (though the movement also includes Sunnis) against the Yemeni military that began in North ...

in 2015 in Yemen, Foreign Minister of Somalia Abdisalam Omer likewise reiterated his administration's support for the legitimacy of Yemen's incumbent government led by President

Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi (born 1 September 1945) is a Yemeni politician and former military officer who served as the second president of Yemen from 2012 until his resignation in 2022. He previously served as the second vice president of Yemen fro ...

Trade and agreements

In May 2014, the Somali State Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Bur’i Mohamed Hamza met with the Yemeni Ambassador to Somalia Fu'ad Mohamed Al Zorqah to discuss bilateral cooperation. The conference was held at the Foreign Affairs Ministry compound in

Mogadishu Mogadishu, locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Ocean for millennia and has ...

and touched on a number of issues, including the launching of a direct flight between Mogadishu and

Sana'a Sanaa, officially the Sanaa Municipality, is the ''de jure'' capital and largest city of Yemen. The city is the capital of the Sanaa Governorate, but is not part of the governorate, as it forms a separate administrative unit. At an elevation ...

. Operated by Al Saeda Airlines, it is the first air route directly linking both capitals since the collapse of Somalia's former central government in 1991. In June 2014, the Fisheries Minister of the

State of Somalia Hasan Mahmoud announced that the Somali and Yemeni governments are slated to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to regulate fishing within Somalia's territorial waters by Yemeni fishermen. The Puntland and Yemeni Fisheries ministries are also scheduled to hold talks on bilateral cooperation, with the aim of preserving and effectively exploiting marine resources. On 14 May 2025, seven Yemeni fishermen were arrested by Puntland security forces near

Ras Asir Cape Guardafui is a headland in Somalia, in the federal state of Puntland. It forms the geographical apex of the Horn of Africa. Its shore at 51°27'52"E is the second easternmost point on mainland Africa after Ras Hafun. The offshore oceanic stra ...

after a local coast guard intercepted their vessel. The officials said the fishermen were using an illegal fishing method known as Hawi and that they did not have a registered agent within Somalia. Both actions are illegal under the region's fishing laws. They were held for over a month until their release on 17 June 2025.

Diplomatic missions

Somalia maintains an

embassy A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a Sovereign state, state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase ...

in Yemen. The diplomatic mission is led by Ambassador Ismail Qassim Naji. Yemen also has an embassy in

. The diplomatic mission is headed by Ambassador Fu'ad Mohamed Al Zorqah. In May 2015, Yemen opened a new consulate in Puntland. Additionally, Puntland is slated to open a consulate in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Somalia-Yemen relations

Bilateral relations of Yemen