NAIROBI, Kenya (AXADLE) – A sudden pivot in travel plans. What caused this unexpected hitch? Former Somali Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble, a name echoing through political corridors, found his path to South Africa recently obstructed. An unexpected visa denial from the South African High Commission in Nairobi sparked curiosity and conjecture across Somali social media landscapes.

Initial whispers suggested a sinister move by the Somali government, with accusations flying about a suspended diplomatic passport and denied requests at the Somali Embassy. But was this truly the case? Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Moalim Fiqi, attempted to clear the fog of confusion. “The letter Roble needed was issued without hesitation,” he told VOA Somali, pointing the finger at bureaucratic roadblocks beyond Mogadishu’s reach.

The saga deepened with a letter dated February 1, 2025, from Somalia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs listing six officials as part of Roble’s entourage. A routine diplomatic formal yet, it set the stage for intrigue. Some delegates allegedly carried unsavory connections—whispers of terrorism and smuggling tethered to their names. These allegations acted like a red flag wavering violently, halting approvals except for Roble himself. An insider, choosing shadows over the spotlight, confided, “Only the former prime minister’s visa found favor.”

Among the denied: Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adaala, Deputy Minister of Information, along with four others. As silence enveloped Roble himself on the matter, Abdullahi Arab, his confidant and former ministerial colleague, broke through the quiet murmur. “A calculated act from Mogadishu,” he proposed, painting a picture of deliberate obstruction. Intriguingly, Arab hinted at Roble’s double allegiance, suggesting his Swedish passport came to the rescue.

Arab’s past bears its own shadows. In 2011, accusations of aiding Al-Shabaab militants clung to him like dark memories, leading to a short-lived imprisonment, only to be freed by presidential grace. History, it seems, rarely forgets.

Politics, Scandals, and Shadows of Smuggling

Roble’s political journey, never a dull wallpaper, saw turbulence especially in 2021. Just before electoral contests, a scandal exploded around him, tethering his name to land theft accusations and ending with a suspension pronounced by then-President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo. But that was yesterday’s storm—today’s whispers surround khat, a divisive green leaf, both consumed as a mild stimulant and tangled in less savory affairs.

Somali corridors sound with hushed conversations linking Roble with the khat trade. In Somalia, where khat flies off shelves like morning coffee, the lines between legality and illicit undertakings blur. Smuggling tales embroil this trade, threading through political strands and woven into broader concerns of heroin and hashish leaving Somali shores, whispering into foreign markets.

Case in point: In February 2025, Saudi authorities delivered a grim verdict—a Somali individual, Mohamed Nur Hussein, met with execution in Najran, southern Saudi Arabia. His crime? Smuggling hashish, they alleged, part of larger networks snaking between Mogadishu and Gulf destinations. With over fifty Somali lives dancing on the razor’s edge of a Saudi judgment, mostly drug-related, the issue stirs international concern.

Navigating Smuggling and Corruption

The UN flags a repetitive theme: Somalia’s struggles create fertile ground for clandestine trade, heroin and hashish flowing like illicit undercurrents. Transit points like Aden Adde International Airport spotlighted in UNODC reports, bear witness to Somalia’s link in the global drug chain, with origins mapping back to nations like Pakistan and India.

Sensationalized operations at Mogadishu’s port and airport in early February 2025 showcased decisive strikes against drug rings. The seizures underscored an ongoing battle, with police revelations hinting at persistent challenges amid the nation’s porous gateways.

Unfortunately, those appointed to guard the fences have, at times, let the sheep themselves. January 2023 unearthed fraudulent schemes within the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank—a saga of fake stamps, falsified documents, and embezzled fortunes. Corruption festers like a non-healing wound, latched onto airport management, mirroring a systemic rot.

Recent accountability efforts, illustrated by the October 2024 dismissal of senior security officials at the very same Aden Adde International Airport, continue. Accusations of facilitating human trafficking and ties to murkier realms signal a need for vigilance, with forged documents slipping through fingers meant to safeguard security.