Kenya has been named a major transit hub in Africa’s illegal gold trade, according to the Africa Organised Crime Index 2025. In 2025, crimes involving non-renewable resources were the third most common criminal market in Africa, after financial crimes and human trafficking. The continent contains vast reserves of gold, diamonds, and platinum, with an estimated tens of billions of dollars’ worth of gold smuggled out of Africa every year. Almost half of Sudan’s population now requires humanitarian aid, and over 30 percent have been displaced, creating conditions for human trafficking and smuggling networks to thrive. In 2025, Egypt’s visa restrictions on Sudanese refugees forced many to rely on smuggling networks, particularly through the contested Halayeb Triangle.