DHOOBLEY — Police in southern Somalia have arrested a group of young men accused of planning an illegal migration route through Kenya en route to North Africa and ultimately Europe, authorities said on Thursday.
Security officials in Dhoobley, a border town in the Lower Juba region near Kenya, said the suspects had travelled from Mogadishu and were attempting to cross into Kenya without legal documentation before continuing a journey through Sudan and Libya toward Europe.
Police said the group was intercepted at a checkpoint on the outskirts of Dhoobley after officers stopped a vehicle during routine inspections targeting irregular movement and suspected smuggling networks.
According to security sources, the passengers initially raised suspicion after failing to produce valid travel documents or local authorization to enter or transit through the area. A follow-up investigation by criminal intelligence units later indicated that some of the individuals were linked to an organized attempt to facilitate irregular migration across the Somalia–Kenya border.
Officials did not disclose the exact number of people arrested but confirmed that they are being held for questioning as investigations continue into possible networks involved in migrant smuggling.
The arrests come as Somali federal authorities intensify efforts to crack down on human trafficking and irregular migration routes, which continue to expose young Somalis to dangerous journeys across the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.
Security officials in Dhoobley said border surveillance and checkpoint operations have been strengthened in recent weeks to disrupt smuggling routes used by traffickers moving people toward Kenya and onward transit corridors to North Africa.
Authorities said the operation is part of broader efforts to protect vulnerable youth from exploitation by organized criminal networks that charge large sums of money for irregular migration, often resulting in life-threatening journeys.
Police called on young people to avoid illegal migration routes, warning that traffickers often provide false promises of employment and safe passage to Europe.
Officials added that security forces will continue operations along the border region to prevent illegal crossings and dismantle human smuggling networks operating in southern Somalia.
