Thursday 15, May 2025 {HMC}  U.S. President Donald Trump met with Syria’s president in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and urged him to normalise ties with longtime foe Israel after a surprise U.S. announcement that it would lift all sanctions on the Islamist-led government.

Trump then flew to Qatar, where he oversaw the signing of a deal for the Gulf Arab country to buy jets from U.S. manufacturer Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab.

He did not mention a controversial separate offer by Qatar to donate a Boeing jet to serve as the U.S. president’s official airplane. That would be one of the most valuable gifts ever given to the United States and it has triggered alarm in Washington over its security and ethics implications.

After Trump’s declaration that he would lift sanctions on Syria, which is seeking to rebuild after more than a decade of civil war, he met with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who swept to power at the head of a group that Washington has called a terrorist organisation and once pledged allegiance to al Qaeda.
Trump told reporters that Sharaa said he would be willing to eventually join the Abraham Accords, a U.S.-brokered 2020 agreement that saw the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco normalize relations with Israel. Syrian officials have signaled an openness to normalize under the right circumstances.

“I told him, ‘I hope you’re going to join when it’s straightened out.’ He said, ‘Yes.’ But they have a lot of work to do,” Trump said, according to a White House pool report.

Photos posted on Saudi state television showed the two men shaking hands in the presence of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump said the meeting with Sharaa, who he described as a young, attractive guy with a very strong past, was “great”.

“He’s got a real shot at holding it together,” said Trump.

ETHICAL CONCERNS OVER BUSINESS DEALS

Trump’s four-day visit highlights the United States’ growing ties to the oil-rich region, where his real-estate company is also developing several projects.

That has raised concerns about a conflict of interest between Trump’s official duties as president and his business interests.

Trump has dismissed ethical concerns about his plan to accept the $400 million luxury plane from Qatar to serve as Air Force One, saying on Monday it would be “stupid” to turn down the generous offer.

Qatar, host of the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East, has been working to deepen ties with Trump in his second term after falling on the wrong side of the U.S. president when he was first in office.

In 2017, during Trump’s first term, the tiny but hugely wealthy gas producer was isolated by a diplomatic, trade and air embargo imposed by Gulf states and some other Arab nations which accused Doha of backing terrorism and getting too close to Iran. At the time, Trump’s administration sided with Doha’s rivals.

In Doha, Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani announced deals that the White House said were worth $1.2 trillion. That included an agreement by Qatar Airways to buy Boeing aircraft and GE Aerospace engines.

For some 40 years, Qatar’s “core motivation has always been their concern and their fear that Saudi and the UAE have designs on it and they saw the U.S. as the guarantor of their independence,” said Gerald Feierstein, a former U.S. diplomat with extensive experience in the Gulf.

Trump said the two leaders discussed Iran and the Ukraine-Russia war. “We always had a very special relationship,” Trump said of the emir.

Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia brought a $600 billion commitment from the kingdom to invest in the U.S. and $142 billion in U.S. arms sales to the kingdom.

ISRAELI WORRIES

Trump’s Middle East trip – which does not include a visit to Jerusalem – has fuelled doubts in Israel about where the country stands in Washington’s priorities.

Syria is one of Israel’s biggest foes, and Israeli officials have continued to describe Sharaa as a jihadist, though he severed ties with al Qaeda in 2016. Sharaa first joined the group in Iraq, where he spent five years in a U.S. prison. The United States removed a $10 million bounty on his head in December.

Israel opposes lifting sanctions on Syria, which would clear the way for greater engagement by humanitarian organizations and boost foreign investment. Israel has escalated military strikes in Syria since Sharaa took power after toppling former President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Trump’s administration is also holding nuclear talks with its other enemy, Iran.

The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump told reporters the fact he has relationships with countries in the Middle East is “very good for Israel”.

Trump’s move to lift sanctions and bring Syria into the Abraham accords could help hold Syria’s former allies, Iran and Russia, at a distance as the new government builds diplomatic and financial ties with the region and the West.

The U.S. also hopes regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia will also join the Abraham Accords, but discussions came to a halt after the Gaza war erupted and the kingdom insists there can be no normalisation without Palestinian statehood.

Reporting by Gram Slattery, Pesha Magid and Andrew Mills; additional reporting by Jonathan Landay; Writing by Andy Sullivan and Michael Georgy; Editing by Sharon Singleton, William Maclean, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis and Diane Craft.

By Gram Slattery, Pesha Magid and Andrew Mills

Thursday May 15, 2025
By Valtino Omolo, Willis Okumu

Trans-Saharan trafficking syndicates lure youngsters from the Dadaab camps with the promise of a better life in Europe.

On 16 January 2025, a local newspaper in Kenya revealed that trans-Saharan human trafficking syndicates are deceiving Somali refugees living in Kenyan camps. The Magafe – a Libyan-based criminal group – is reportedly leading a kidnapping and trafficking network that exploits Somali refugees, appealing to their aspirations with false promises of relocation to Europe. Mostly young refugees are drawn into dangerous journeys that often result in severe abuse, hardship and can even be fatal.

Refugees living in Kenyan camps already face significant challenges. In 2024, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ Kenya country programme reported receiving only 23% of the required funding, primarily due to insufficient international aid.

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive orders to cut 90% in foreign contracts from the US Agency for International Development, an institution that has long played a crucial role in providing food, shelter and other essential support for refugees and migrants in Kenya, have worsened these challenges.

Limited access to essential government services has also exacerbated problems in obtaining refugee documentation, which impedes their ability to secure work permits.

Due to these pressures, and under the belief that better opportunities must exist abroad, young refugees are vulnerable to recruitment by trafficking networks.

According to the Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Officer Benson Kasyoki, trafficking syndicates use social media platforms such as WhatsApp and TikTok to facilitate the recruitment of vulnerable refugee youth. Both platforms’ appeal to and broad reach among youth populations, coupled with the privacy of WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, make them ideal recruiting tools.

Trafficking syndicates use WhatsApp and TikTok to facilitate the recruitment of vulnerable refugee youth.

Once recruited, victims are trafficked via three routes to Libya. The first is from Dadaab to Garissa, Mwingi, Thika, Nairobi, Busia in Kenya, Kampala in Uganda, then to South Sudan and finally Libya. The second is from Dadaab to Mombasa, Busia, Kampala, South Sudan and Libya. And the third is from Dadaab to Garissa, Isiolo, Samburu, Turkana in Kenya, to South Sudan and then Libya.

Migrant smuggling route from Kenya to Libya

Source: ISS

An anonymous DCI source says some refugee youths are lured from Dadaab by traffickers who transport them to Nairobi’s Eastleigh area. They are handed over to brokers in Nairobi’s central business district who facilitate their journey through Busia to Uganda, then on to South Sudan, and ultimately Libya.

The traffickers bribe border officials to facilitate cross-border transportation. This systemic corruption in Kenya and neighbouring regions is a key facilitator of human trafficking and smuggling.

The refugees face harsh conditions on their way to Libya, with many falling ill or dying. Once in Libya, victims are frequently subjected to violence, acts of slavery, organ trafficking, forced labour and extortion.

As a transit country en route to Europe, Libya faces persistently high levels of human trafficking activity. Vast ungoverned areas in several regions, the fragile status of the current Libyan regime, a lack of governmental oversight and inadequate capacity to respond ensure the continued appeal of the country as a transit route for human trafficking activities.

There are also reports that refugees are often held ransom by organised criminal groups that demand payment from the victims’ families. The Magafe, which has been active since 2017, is notorious for engaging in ransom smuggling, which involves kidnapping migrants and demanding money in exchange for their release.

Victims are frequently subjected to violence, acts of slavery, organ trafficking, forced labour and extortion

An official with the DCI told ENACT that in recent case a young man was trafficked to Libya – once there, the traffickers demanded US$ 10 000 for his release. His family, based in Nairobi, sent the demanded ransom however the victim has not yet been released.

In this context, both Kenya and Libya have made efforts to protect refugees from the risks of human trafficking and smuggling.

The Kenyan Refugees Act of 2021 introduces new policies that provide refugees with freedom of movement, the right to work and access to financial services, including M-PESA, a mobile-based money transfer service that connects several East African countries.

However, there are challenges in implementing certain aspects of the act. Refugees International reports that refugees living in Kenya face bureaucratic obstacles. For example, it is difficult to acquire registration documents, such as the refugee identity cards needed for purchasing land or registering a business. This places a significant burden on refugees who seek to create more stable livelihoods and become productive members of society.

Insufficient funding affecting staffing and capability in refugee-related agencies hampers the government’s efforts to effectively enforce protective measures. This leaves refugees vulnerable to exploitation despite the legal protections in place. Likewise, initiatives to combat fraudulent labour recruitment practices regarding refugees remain inadequate.

Cooperation with multi-lateral agencies and transit countries is essential for a more coherent response

While Libya has criminalised forms of sex trafficking through the country’s penal code, it has not criminalised labour trafficking. Along with the challenges mentioned above, this legislative gap has been repeatedly exploited by transnational organised criminal groups such as the Magafe.

Limited policing capacity, together with inadequate legal frameworks, hinders the Libyan government’s ability to prosecute and punish traffickers. Interestingly, as highlighted by the 2024 US State Department’s report, the government has never reported the prosecution or conviction of anyone for sex trafficking crimes.

The weaknesses in source, transit and host countries that enable refugee trafficking require both national and cross-border efforts.

The World Bank notes the urgent need for Kenya to streamline procedures for the new provisions of the Refugee Act, particularly addressing the issuance of work permits, access to financial services and movement passes. This will reduce the vulnerability of refugees to traffickers by providing opportunities for local livelihoods.

To address existing cross-border trafficking – including the labour-related and sexual exploitation of refugees – cooperation with relevant multi-lateral agencies and transit countries is essential for a more coherent response.

In addition, countering fake job recruitment posts on social media with realistic and fact-based information on the consequences of undertaking the uncertain and arduous journey across the Sahara will help create awareness. This could be undertaken by government education and communications departments, as well as the media, civil society organisations and refugee aid organisations.

Valtino Omolo, Research Officer, ENACT, and Willis Okumu, Senior Researcher, ENACT