Somalia, IOM launch regional crackdown on human smuggling

Somalia’s Minister of Internal Security, General Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag, officially launched a three-year Regional Counter-Smuggling Programme in Mogadishu on Thursday, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Kingdom Border Security Command, to combat migrant smuggling, document fraud, and transnational organised crime across Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The initiative targets […]

Somalia’s Minister of Internal Security, General Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag, officially launched a three-year Regional Counter-Smuggling Programme in Mogadishu on Thursday, in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Kingdom Border Security Command, to combat migrant smuggling, document fraud, and transnational organised crime across Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

The initiative targets criminal networks that exploit weak border management and limited information-sharing to facilitate irregular migration, leaving migrants vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, and trafficking. It comes as Somalia’s federal government pushes to modernise its immigration and border systems amid persistent security challenges, with the Horn of Africa remaining a major transit route for smuggling and human trafficking.

Speaking at the launch ceremony, Minister Fartaag described secure borders and airports as a cornerstone of Somalia’s national security strategy, stressing that the Federal Government is prioritising investment in professional, well-trained security institutions capable of responding to evolving threats.