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By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.MOGADISHU, Somalia (Kaab TV) – Somali human traffickers have found a new route to smuggle desperate migrants abroad: by misusing religious pilgrimage visas.
The Umrah and Hajj visas, intended for Muslims travelling to Saudi Arabia for religious rites, are now being exploited as a tool in human trafficking schemes.
Kaab TV has uncovered disturbing evidence of young Somalis paying up to $10,000 to middlemen based at travel agencies in Mogadishu in exchange for Umrah visas.
These intermediaries allegedly work with corrupt government officials in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowment, and the Department of Immigration, to facilitate passport issuance and visa processing.
Minister of Religious Affairs in Somalia is Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali known as Abu Mansur (left) — a former co-founder of the Al-Shabaab terror group.
Although the ministry is officially tasked with overseeing Hajj and Umrah arrangements, it has reportedly outsourced much of its operations to agents and brokers closely tied to ministry officials.
Some of these individuals are accused of paying bribes to gain influence.
Widespread corruption
President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud recently acknowledged the widespread corruption at the ministry.
“I received many complaints about corruption in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowment,” the president said. However, in a controversial remark, he added that he was not concerned, stating: “Even if the minister steals, he would still invest some in the country.”
The current Minister of Religious Affairs in Somalia is Sheikh Mukhtar Robow Ali, also known as Abu Mansur — a former co-founder and senior leader of the Al-Shabaab militant group.
Religious pilgrimage has become a lucrative business in Somalia. One agent told Kaab TV that each Hajj traveler this year paid up to $4,500. Social media platforms in Somalia are flooded with ads for Hajj and Umrah packages, often promising “urgent processing” and even expedited passport services for extra fees.
What was once a journey of faith has now become a gateway for smuggling. Traffickers even openly advertise their services on social media, promising ‘urgent visa issuance’ and ‘comfortable travel’.
Traffickers even openly advertise their services on social media.
Abdirahman Bashi, a Mogadishu resident, recently received a call from his younger sister who had traveled to Saudi Arabia on an Umrah visa.
The traffickers had promised to help her secure a visa to Italy once in Saudi Arabia, but now they are demanding additional money.
“My sister told me they need more money to ‘facilitate’ her Italian visa,” Abdirahman said. His family has begun selling their land in a Mogadishu suburb to raise the funds.
Italy has recently become a popular destination for smugglers moving African migrants due to what they perceive as easier visa opportunities and asylum pathways.
While some victims make it to Europe, others remain trapped. One family in northern Mogadishu is heartbroken after learning their only son, Ahmed Nasir, is being held by traffickers in Tripoli, Libya.
He initially left Somalia for Egypt on a legal visa but was later smuggled into Libya, where he hoped to cross the Mediterranean Sea.
“The traffickers are now demanding $6,000, claiming it covers his travel expenses,” said Nasir’s mother, Halima. “But even if we pay them, I’m afraid they won’t let him go.”
The Somali Immigration Department did not respond to Kaab TV’s inquiries about the alleged involvement of its officials in the trafficking network.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowment has denied any wrongdoing or connection to the smuggling operations.
As the misuse of pilgrimage visas continues, vulnerable Somalis are caught in a dangerous cycle of exploitation, debt, and broken promises.
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