It started as an ordinary delivery job. The smuggler says he was transporting goods by lorry in Somaliawhen he discovered that some of the cargo was cartons of pistols. But he needs to support his children, so he hsd kept smuggling weapons for the men he works for.

Somalia is not a major arms producer but has become an important transit point in regional weapons trafficking. Weapons are smuggled from Yemen to Somalia, with recent reports documenting Houthi-linked arms transfers and growing links between the Houthis and Al-Shabab.