Somalia and Sudan have signed a mutual visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic passports, a move aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and facilitating closer official engagement between the two countries.
The agreement was concluded April 2 during the second session of the Somalia-Sudan Political Consultation Committee. The talks were co-chaired by Hamza Adan Haadow, permanent secretary of Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and Ambassador Muawiya Osman Khalid, undersecretary of Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Under the new arrangement, diplomats from Somalia and Sudan will be allowed to travel between the two countries without the need to obtain visas, a change that is expected to ease movement for officials and support regular communication between the two governments.
The decision is also seen as part of wider efforts to strengthen ties and ensure smoother handling of diplomatic matters.
Officials from Somalia said the discussions during the session went beyond diplomatic travel and covered a range of areas where both countries see potential for cooperation. These included political coordination, economic engagement, and collaboration in the education sector, as well as efforts to support institutional development and improve how both sides work together on regional and international issues.
The meeting also allowed the two delegations to exchange views on how to align their priorities and explore ways to build stronger systems that can support long-term cooperation. By focusing on multiple sectors, both countries signalled their intention to broaden the scope of their relationship and create more structured engagement between their institutions.
In a statement released after the talks, Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the agreement and outlined its significance for both countries.
“The Federal Republic of Somalia and the Republic of Sudan have signed a mutual visa exemption agreement for holders of diplomatic passports, marking a key step in strengthening bilateral relations and facilitating closer diplomatic engagement between the two countries,” the statement read.
The ministry also said the discussions reflected a shared interest in expanding cooperation across different sectors and improving coordination on key issues.
“The discussions focused on advancing cooperation across political, economic, educational, and capacity-building sectors, alongside enhanced coordination on regional and international issues,” the statement added.
The move reflects growing diplomatic engagement between Mogadishu and Khartoum, as both governments seek to deepen collaboration and align positions on broader geopolitical and development priorities in the Horn of Africa and beyond. Officials from both sides expressed commitment to sustaining the consultative mechanism as a platform for advancing mutual interests and reinforcing long-standing ties between the two countries.
