Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud accepted the diplomatic credentials of Christopher Thornley, Canada’s newly appointed non-resident ambassador, during a ceremony in Mogadishu.
Diplomatic relations between Canada and Somalia were established in 1968, but were severed with the fall of the Somali government in 1991. With the creation of Somalia’s Federal Government in 2012, Canada resumed diplomatic relations with the country in 2013 and is represented by its High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya.
Canada has one of the largest Somali diaspora communities in the world. The bulk arrived in the early to mid-1990s, during the civil war. Official census data puts the population at 63,000, while Somali-Canadian leaders believe it is closer to 150,000. Several Somali-Canadians have deep ties to Somalia and have held key positions in Somalia’s federal and regional governments.
Canada and Somalia have limited trading links, with $3.7 million in two-way merchandise trade in 2021. In the same year, Canada’s main exports to Somalia totaled $3.3 million and included automobiles and equipment, machinery, textile items, plastic and rubber products, and specialized instruments. In 2021, Canada purchased $423,000 in chemical and vegetable goods, automobiles and equipment, and machinery from Somalia.
One of three ambassadors who submitted their credentials to Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was Christopher Thornley. Mohamud also welcomed the credentials of Djiboutian Ambassador Mohamed Ibrahim Yusuf and Cuban Ambassador Juan Manuel Rodriguez.
President Mohamud claimed that the restoration of relations with Cuba, which had been suspended for 46 years, and with other countries represents his administration’s vision of a “Somalia at peace with itself and the world.”