Sunday 23, Nov 2025 {HMC} Puntland security forces have arrested a senior official from the Immigration and Nationality Authority in Garowe on Sunday on allegations of facilitating youth smuggling networks.
The official, reportedly the deputy head of the Garowe Immigration Office, is accused of illegally issuing Somali passports to large numbers of young people who were later stopped at Puntland airports while attempting to leave the country.
Authorities say he will be charged in court for his alleged role in smuggling activities and for violating an administrative order that temporarily restricts passport issuance to youth.
His arrest comes as Puntland security agencies detain dozens of young men and women apprehended at Garowe Airport. Most had traveled from Mogadishu and were attempting to transit through Ethiopia for onward migration.
Puntland authorities have reiterated that anyone linked to smuggling networks will face prosecution under the region’s anti-smuggling regulations.
Puntland remains a key departure point for young Somalis seeking to migrate, with clandestine networks helping facilitate travel funds and secure documents, including passports.
Earlier this month, 165 Somali migrants stuck in Libya were repatriated with support from the IOM and the EU. Their flight first landed at Hargeisa’s Egal International Airport, where 13 passengers disembarked, before continuing to Mogadishu to offload the remaining 152. This brings the total number of Somali migrants returned from Libya this year to more than 550, according to the IOM.
Source Hiinraan online
