Somalia’s Puntland State Arrests Senior Immigration Official Accused of Aiding Youth Smuggling Rings

Puntland State arrests senior immigration official in Garowe over alleged youth-smuggling passports

Garowe, Somalia — Puntland State security forces on Sunday arrested a senior official with the Immigration and Nationality Authority in Garowe on allegations he facilitated youth smuggling networks by illegally issuing Somali passports, authorities said.

The official, identified by local sources as the deputy head of the Garowe Immigration Office, is accused of producing travel documents for large numbers of young people who were later intercepted at Puntland State airports while attempting to leave the country. Officials said the man will be charged in court over his alleged role in smuggling activities and for violating an administrative order that temporarily restricts passport issuance to youth.

The arrest comes amid a sweeping crackdown at Garowe Airport, where security agencies have detained dozens of young men and women in recent days. Most of those stopped had traveled from Mogadishu and were attempting to transit through Ethiopia as part of onward migration journeys, according to Puntland State authorities.

Regional officials reiterated that anyone linked to the networks — including document forgers, recruiters and transport coordinators — will face prosecution under Puntland State’s anti-smuggling regulations. The government has framed the measures as a response to growing concerns about human trafficking, fraud and the risks faced by Somali migrants on irregular routes.

Puntland State remains a key departure point for Somali youth seeking to leave the country, drawn by promises of work or resettlement abroad. Clandestine facilitators are known to organize travel funds, arrange transit through neighboring countries and secure documents, including passports, that enable migrants to move undetected for part of their journey.

The focus on passport fraud highlights how official papers can become a gateway for smugglers when oversight collapses. Authorities in Garowe said the temporary restrictions on issuing passports to youth were designed to stem that leakage while broader reforms are implemented. It was not immediately clear how long the restrictions will remain in place.

The latest enforcement action also comes against the backdrop of stepped-up returns of Somali nationals stranded along migration routes. Earlier this month, 165 Somali migrants who had been stuck in Libya were repatriated with support from the International Organization for Migration and the European Union. Their flight first landed at Hargeisa’s Egal International Airport, where 13 passengers disembarked, before continuing to Mogadishu to offload the remaining 152.

IOM says the operation brings the total number of Somali migrants returned from Libya this year to more than 550. Humanitarian agencies have warned that many migrants face violence, detention and extortion in Libya and along desert and maritime corridors, underscoring the dangers of irregular movement and the urgency of disrupting smuggling pipelines.

While Sunday’s arrest targets alleged facilitation within a government office, Puntland State officials have signaled that broader investigations are underway into the financial and logistical networks that profit from moving people out of the country. Authorities have urged families to avoid paying smugglers and to seek verified, legal pathways instead.

No court date for the detained official was immediately announced. Puntland State’s security agencies said updates would be provided as the case proceeds.

By Ali Musa
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.