This article discusses the patterns and dynamics of human trafficking and migrant smuggling in and out of the Horn of Africa region, the common routes; and the nature of the perpetrators. Currently, intra-regional human trafficking and migrant smuggling pose limited security threats compared to the alarming growth of informal migration out of the region. The article will also try to link the prevalence of a sizable and ‘less regulated’ refugee population as a vulnerable group exposed to human trafficking and migrant smuggling out of the region.