Tue, 05 May 2026 08:17:26 +0000

The Lawless Trade That Haunts the Horn of Africa—No One’s Watching The Horn of Africa has long been a region shadowed by political instability, poverty, and conflict—but beneath these well-known challenges lies a quieter, more dangerous threat: the lawless trade that thrives beyond the reach of justice. From arms trafficking and human smuggling to illicit trade in natural resources, this underground economy flourishes in the weak spots of fragile states, feeding violence, corruption, and despair across one of the world’s most volatile regions. ### A Region Under Siege Stretching across Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and parts of Sudan and Djibouti, the Horn of Africa is no stranger to crisis. Decades of weak governance, intercommunal violence, and recurring droughts have created an environment where legitimate institutions struggle to control territory—especially in remote rural areas and coastal zones.