Apparently, Somalia is still pretty much an anarchy, with various factions running wild.
Does Somalia have actual border controls and immigration procedures that are actually enforced in any meaningful sense? Can I get a boat and a couple friends and just pull into Mogadishu and do whatever I want (e.g. go down to the market and trade fancy American store-bought stuff or food for AK-47’s and RPG’s) without dealing with visas or customs officials? If I wanted to follow whatever is formally on the law books regarding requirements for visa issuance, import/export regulations or customs duties, is it even possible?
Whether or not it is advisable to travel to Somalia for any reason, whether tourism or trade, is beyond the scope of this question.
From reviewing the State Department’s travel page on Somalia, it appears that some parts of the country have something like normal border controls: 404 - Page Not Found . Somaliland, for example, will want you to go through customs and get a visa - and the Somaliland government has enough power to make that requirement stick within its territory. Puntland, too, will require a passport. As for other places - god, I doubt even the folks living there would know.
Understand that even if there aren’t border guards on every bit of the Somali side of the border, the neighboring states of Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia all have functioning governments and border controls, and it’s unlikely that any of them will be particularly thrilled to see idiot Westerners wandering into Somalia; all sorts of bad things can ensue from this. As for coming in from the Indian Ocean - consider the very real risk of encountering pirates.
Other than Somaliland, the country really just isn’t accessible to tourists, and the State Department strongly discourages people even from visiting Somaliland.
Well, if it isn’t implied in my OP, I’m ignoring the obvious danger from lawlessness and gangs. I suppose that one or more of the “governments”/gangs could hang out where major roads cross the border or hang out in the harbor to extract “tribute” or intimidate people. But, to what extent does that actually happen? I suppose that’s an extension to my question - regardless of the presence of officially sanctioned Government Officials at the point of entry, can I practically just tootle my way into the country by land, sea, or air? Let’s assume I have a gun and am not afraid to use it in self defense.
You can “just walk” into most countries with governments, too, if you’re willing to take on some personal risk and particularly if you’re willing to leave the roads.
Okay. So if I approach Somalia on a major road (say, coming from Ethiopia or Kenya), am I going to see a border checkpoint where they will do anything remotely resembling a lawful immigrations and customs check, or is it just a bunch of guys with Kalashnikovs who will take 100 Euros and two cartons of Marlboros to let you pass? How about if I try to pull into the harbor in Mogadishu?
There are two areas in the north of Somalia called Puntland and Somaliland which are supposed to be less of a wreck than Somalia proper. By a quick search it sounds like there’s visas and immigration procedures for those areas.
The rest of Somalia is trickier. I know there are various checkpoints throughout the country, some manned by the notional government - which has very little power beyond its small seat of authority - and some probably manned by various warlords. I’m not sure if the militant Islamists that comprised the Union of Islamic Courts still have their own checkpoints as well or if they even still have any power (they fled Mogadishu this week). They probably do in the far south of the country at least. A lot of these checkpoints are likely to just be a truck parked on the road manned by stoned pre-teen warriors carrying machine guns though, nothing very official!
I don’t know if there would be checkpoints when entering the country. My guess is that there would be on the Ethiopian or Kenyan side at least, and there will probably be checkpoints somewhere further along those roads, manned by someone, maybe even at the border crossing. Again by a quick search it sounds like Somalia does technically have visas.
The place is indeed an anarchic mess but that doesn’t mean it’s every man for himself - most of the areas are controlled by a powerful warlord or a certain group. The areas that aren’t are generally warzones where two of those groups are fighting for control, or not really worth controlling in the first place.
Ah, so kind of like a medieval or high fantasy novel?
Bill: “Over this mountain lies the domain of the Warlord Mbara. His Personal Guard sometimes sends patrols around and they generally ask for “tribute” from people passing through, but as long as you are nice Mbara is a pretty decent guy. We need to be careful not to insult Mbara or make any comments regarding <sensitive political or religious matter> and not look threatening and they will probably let us hang around as long as we make a sufficient contribution. We’ll offer this bottle of Whiskey, 50 Euros, and 50 US Dollars.”
Joe: “Ok.”
Bill: “But we need to stay on this side of that river over there. That area is ruled by the Islamic Movement of Somalia and they will kill you if they catch you in their land and you are not a Muslim.”
Joe: “How secure is the river as a border between the factions?”
Bill: “Pretty secure. There is an occasional skirmish but both sides have artillery and there is a gentleman’s agreement to let the border stand.”
Joe: “uh huh, ok.”
sure just get you outboard prop, your dingy and shoot on over, don’t worry about those machine guns or rifles pointed your way as you pull in to the dock…they’re just a fun loving group of guys! What’s a few bullets between friends?!!
Bolding mine. Are there any good role-playing games in Mogadishu? I would think that having to live one every day would kind of suck the fun out of it.
You mentioned Mogadiscio. In this case at least, I guess that the extent would be close to 100%, since it’s still a disputed battle zone, and any obviously foreign “visitor” would have some 'splaining to do about the real reason of his presence.
Note also that “no government” doesn’t mean no local authority having a strong control of a possibly large area. They’re not mere gangs, but organized factions.
By international standards, it’s a hellhole (I mean economically), but by Somalian standards, it’s probably a very nice place to be. I’d sign the petition for the recognition of their independence.
One of the very cool things about Somaliland is that they have reasonably free and fair elections, and people respect the results. The opposition won power a year or so ago; the outgoing President put up a nice message on his official webpage congratulating them.
I’m sure there’s corruption, but there’s corruption in plenty of places. Given the choice, the government of Somaliland is one of the few in Africa I’d choose to love under. (South Africa, Botswana, and maybe Benin round out the list).
Who remembers the Operation Restore Hope landings in Somalia in December '92, launched by lame-duck Bush I? Remember how the Marines, looking like D-Day but with more equipment, were met on the beach by Western TV crews?
The Marines were prepared for the not-inconceivable possibility that one of the country’s armed factions would take exception to the entry of a new power player and take some shots at them (IIRC, there was no shooting that day, but there was a few days later)–but the journalists were there already, presumably correct in feeling that they weren’t perceived as a threat to anyone. I imagine they probably had to grease some palms to get into the country, or to be left alone while there, as suggested.
But remember, the distribution of modest bribes to guards and officials, to get from place to place in peace, is widespread in some countries with more-or-less functional national governments. There’s not really a bright line between that and the “warlords” of Somalia.
Some observers have found Somalia’s present (probably mis-termed) state of “anarchy” preferable to either the latter years of the Siad Barre regime or the prospect of a faction such as the ICU (Islamists) or TFG (foreign-backed) successfully asserting control at a national level.
This is based on expiences with Chad and CAR, which are also not known for having particularly existent governments.
Major roads and river crossing will have checkpoints who will want some plausible explaination for what you are doing there and som money. Think of the police as a franchise- they get the uniform and the right to use guns in exchange for funneling a portion of what they collect to their superiors.
The rest of the border will be basically imaginary, with no clear lines and people wandering in and out freely. But if you are ever going to be on roads or otherwise draw attention to yoursrlf (which is kind of hard to avoid) you are going to run in to frequent checkpoints or even personal visits from friendly local officials who heard some foreign is hanging out in Souley’s Guest House. They arenot goin to be too impressed with whatever the guy up the road stamped in your visa, but it will help you make your case that you are not causeing trouble.
Since foreigners don’t really have any good reason to wander Somalia, they are going to assume you are up to something and want to rush you along so you bcome someone else’s problem, or they are going to try to get a cut.
So a day trip to the fishing village might be pretty free from immigration hassles, but your grand Somali roadtrip is going to be a pain in the butt no matter what documents you have.