MOGADISHU (KAAB TV) – The State Secretariat for Migration (“SEM”) of Switzerland is reportedly preparing to carry out special, unpublicised flights to return several Somali citizens to Mogadishu.
According to Kaab TV, the Swiss authorities are planning to deport Somali nationals who have had their residence or asylum status in Switzerland rejected and who are said to refuse voluntary departure. The flights would bypass regular commercial return routes and use chartered aircraft.
The Swiss immigration enforcement system appears to be considering the use of these charter flights when returnees will not depart voluntarily. For instance, in 2024 Switzerland organised 53 special flights for the removal of 462 people.
In this Somali-specific case, it is claimed that the Swiss government “does not yet have official permission” from the Somali government to deport these individuals, but that Swiss immigration authorities—backed by police—plan to make an agreement with Somali border officials upon arrival in Mogadishu.
Somali authorities have refused to accept certain deportees from Finland and Switzerland, citing security concerns and lack of formal readmission agreements.
A Somali ministry source reportedly stated that a return to Somalia was “not safe” for some individuals.
According to the report, some of the Somali nationals in question do not hold travel documents formally recognised by Somalia. As a result, the Swiss Federal Ministry of Justice and Police is said to have issued a “laissez-passer” (a travel-document substitute) to effect the return—something described as an unprecedented measure.
There are allegations of human-rights violations associated with Switzerland’s special-flight deportation system: detention of migrants pending removal, escorting on board under restrictive conditions, and forceful removal when necessary.
A recent academic overview notes that for the most coercive level of removal, the individual is placed on a specially chartered flight, continuously accompanied by multiple police officers, sometimes hand-cuffed or restrained.
Switzerland’s use of “special deportation flights” is a growing part of its removal strategy: In 2023, 339 asylum-seekers were deported on 49 such flights.
The legitimacy of such flights depends on a number of legal and diplomatic safeguards — including the consent of the receiving state (Somalia in this case) and guarantees that the returnee will not face refoulement (return to persecution or serious harm).
Somalia’s rejection of previous deportation requests suggests that any Swiss–Somali cooperation remains fragile or contested.
Without formal readmission arrangements or clear bilateral agreements, the logistical and legal basis for these returns is uncertain.
The use of laissez-passer travel documents by the Swiss authorities to effect return raises important questions about the destination country’s recognition of the individual’s citizenship or departure status.
From a human-rights standpoint, the reports of long detention prior to removal, shackling and forceful transfers raise concerns about proportionality, necessity and safeguards embedded in the return process.
This development points to a sensitive and complex intersection of Swiss migration policy, bilateral relations with Somalia, and the rights of migrants facing deportation.
Although the Swiss authorities appear determined to step up involuntary returns via special flights, the unresolved issue of Somali governmental consent and documentation status means the plan may face legal, diplomatic or practical obstacles.