Of Mukhalas and Magafe: Somali Migrants Navigating the Dangers of Ransom Smuggling in Northern Africa

Tabea Scharrer

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 2023, vol. 709, issue 1, 86-104

Abstract: In the late 2000s, after the implementation of European policies to prevent and criminalize irregular migration, a new form of human smuggling—ransom smuggling—appeared in North Africa. This article is an analysis of ransom smuggling of Somali migrants, based on anthropological fieldwork in Germany and Kenya. Ransom smuggling is dangerous and complex, involving both human smugglers and hostage takers, but I argue that Somali migrants—especially younger ones—make use of this form of smuggling despite its risks because it is cheaper and easier to organize than other options. I describe the major elements of Somali ransom smuggling, which involves transit through the Sahara and Libya. I focus on the various actors involved, and the responsibilities and burdens that accrue to the migrants who transit a system that accounts for their lives as commodities for trade.

Keywords: Somalia; Libya; human smuggling; ransom smuggling; kidnapping; tahriib; irregular migration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:anname:v:709:y:2023:i:1:p:86-104

DOI: 10.1177/00027162241246664

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