Scandal Erupts as Somalia Sends Fraudulent Delegation to ILO Conference

by: Horn Observer Contributor | 20 May 2025 12:34

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Scandal Erupts as Somalia Sends Fraudulent Delegation to ILO Conference

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Somalia's Minister of Labour, Yusuf Mohamed Aden, is under intense scrutiny following revelations of a human trafficking network that has infiltrated government institutions and exploits international p

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Somalia's Minister of Labour, Yusuf Mohamed Aden, is under intense scrutiny following revelations of a human trafficking network that has infiltrated his ministry. | PHOTO/OFFICIAL.

MOGADISHU, Somalia (HORN OBSERVER) – Somalia's Minister of Labour, Yusuf Mohamed Aden, is under intense scrutiny following revelations of a human trafficking network that has infiltrated government institutions and exploits international platforms to smuggle individuals to Europe.

On Thursday, this reporter uncovered how corrupt officials, in collaboration with unscrupulous travel agents, used global conference—most notably the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva—as a cover to traffic Somalis into Europe.

At the center of the scandal is a delegation list submitted by the Somali government, which included 22 individuals, some of whom have no affiliation with the government or expertise in labor affairs.

The exposé, which revealed that 22 names were submitted for Swiss visas under Somalia’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) delegation—despite only 17 names appearing on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' accreditation letter—has sparked nationwide outrage and widespread backlash across the Somali diaspora.

Many are calling for immediate government action to dismantle the trafficking network.

LIST: Only 17 names appearing on the Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs' accreditation letter.

Parliament Launches Investigation

In response to the public uproar, the Speaker of Parliament Aden Madobe who is a close ally to the minister, has been reported to have summoned Minister Aden for questioning.

A member of the parliamentary Subcommittee on Social Affairs told this reporter that an investigation is now underway.

"We’ve asked the Minister to provide further details to Parliament. The subcommittee has already begun its review,” said the lawmaker, who declined to provide further details on the matter.

Further investigation by Horn Observer revealed that four of the alleged delegates—Maryan Ahmed Mohamed, Mahad Ahmed Mohamed, Su’ada Abdullahi Moalim, and Nasro Abdullahi Moalim—are siblings from Southwest Somalia with no government background. They reportedly paid the traffickers to include them in the delegation list.

LIST: International Labour Organisation's website claims 22 member delegation representing Somalia.

Questionable Delegation

A Ministry of Labour official previously questioned how Somalia—a country reliant on foreign aid and struggling to pay civil servants—could afford to send such a large delegation to Geneva.

"Even Angola, with its oil wealth and stronger economy, is sending only 10 delegates to the 2025 ILO Conference,” noted Mohamed Osman Haji, a Mogadishu-based labour unionist. "How can Somalia justify 22 delegates? Who is covering their travel expenses?”

According to the ILO website, Angola has listed 10 participants, including a minister, as its official delegation to the 113th Session of the International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, scheduled for 2–13 June 2025.

Calls, messages, and requests for clarification sent to Minister Aden and the ILO Somalia office went unanswered.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has since launched an internal inquiry to determine how the list of 22 delegates was submitted to the ILO, bypassing standard procedures.

Human Trafficking Through Government Channels

Somalia’s human trafficking operations go far beyond the labor ministry. Investigations have uncovered systematic misuse of diplomatic and service passports. Government officials have allegedly sold these high-level travel documents for cash—sometimes with additional fees for expedited processing.

From December 2024 to March 2025, authorities at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport intercepted over 145 individuals traveling with unauthorized diplomatic and service passports, many of them with no government affiliation.

"This is a national security threat,” said Bashir, a senior airport official. "People are using fake diplomatic passports to commit crimes abroad. Corruption is killing this country.”

In one notorious case, a Somali diplomat stationed in Saudi Arabia was arrested in Ireland in late 2024. He was caught trafficking people and using his diplomatic position to obtain and sell fake passports to clients. Many of his victims reportedly ended up in Ireland.

In response to the human trafficking crisis, Mustafa Duhulow, the new Director General of the Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA), chaired a high-level security meeting in April with departments overseeing citizenship, investigation, and border control.

The meeting focused on tightening Somalia’s passport system and tackling illegal migration.

"We must accelerate efforts to combat human trafficking and illegal migration. Our youth must be protected from exploitation,” said Duhulow in a statement aired by Kaab TV.

No arrests have been made so far.

Somalia’s international partners have also taken notice. In 2024, both Italy and Turkey suspended visa processing in Somalia after discovering that a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was linked to trafficking activities.

In another high-profile case, two senior immigration and airport security officials at Mogadishu International Airport were dismissed in October 2024 after being implicated in forged British and American passports and suspected links to extremist groups, according to Somali police sources.

Traffickers’ Evolving Tactics

Criminal networks are reportedly using increasingly sophisticated methods to deceive visa officers, including fake hotel and airline reservations that are canceled shortly after submission.

"The traffickers handle the entire process, including forged documentation,” said Hassan Abdirahman, an expert in organized crime. "If you check the adverts online, the smugglers use their so-called travel agents and put their clients with an offer that they can issue all kinds of visas—student, medical, or conferences.”

These trafficking rings are not operating from the shadows—they are embedded within Somalia’s government institutions, turning official channels into criminal enterprises that violate human rights, erode trust in public institutions, and pose severe threats to national and international security.