How a Somali Meteorite Became a Scientific Breakthrough—and a Black Market Commodity
For centuries, a massive iron meteorite lay undisturbed in the Somali desert, serving as a local landmark, a playground for children, and a practical tool for herders sharpening their knives. Known to locals as a constant presence in their landscape, the meteorite was woven into songs and daily life, almost unremarkable in its familiarity—until it suddenly vanished in 2020. Its disappearance, orchestrated by armed men, would set off a chain of events that exposed troubling questions at the intersection of science, ethics, and global black market trade.
What set the so-called El Ali meteorite apart from countless other space rocks wasn’t just its size—making it one of the largest iron meteorites ever found in Africa—but the discovery that it contained three minerals never before observed in nature on Earth. These rare minerals rendered the meteorite scientifically priceless, offering clues about the violent processes that shaped our solar system. Yet, rather than being preserved for research and the enrichment of human knowledge, the meteorite was swept into the shadows of the international black market, raising urgent questions: Are scientists inadvertently complicit in the legitimization and monetization of stolen resources? Who truly owns the treasures that fall from the sky?
A Landmark Lost
The El Ali meteorite’s story begins in the arid, conflict-ridden region near the Somali village of El Ali. Its significance to the community was more practical than mystical. For generations, the meteorite was simply “the rock”—a fixture in the landscape, part of everyday life. Children played on its surface, villagers sharpened knives against its iron, and it featured in local stories and songs.
Yet, because the region is so dangerous—dominated by shifting allegiances, armed militias, and the ever-present threat of violence—outsiders never had a chance to fully document the cultural and anthropological importance of the meteorite. The area’s instability meant that the meteorite’s legacy was largely undocumented and little understood by the outside world.
The Discovery
The meteorite first came to the attention of the global scientific community in late 2020 and early 2021. A Somali mining company, later identified as Kureym Mining & Rocks Company, began reaching out to scientists, alerting them to the existence of a massive meteorite and requesting scientific analysis. This approached followed the typical path for meteorite discoveries: small samples were sent out, and, over the next year or two, scientific papers began trickling into the literature, culminating in a 2022 Meteoritical Bulletin that described the meteorite’s chemical characteristics, location, and potential classification.
As analysis progressed, scientists discovered three minerals within the meteorite that had never been found in nature on Earth. These minerals, phosphate inclusions embedded in the iron, were likely formed during a cosmic collision between asteroids, where the mantle and core of a proto-planetary body fused under immense heat and pressure. Because such conditions are nearly impossible to recreate on Earth, these minerals offer unique insights into planetary formation and the violent origins of our solar system.
The meteorite’s size further amplified its significance. At over six feet wide and weighing an estimated 15 tons, it ranked among the largest iron meteorites ever discovered—third-largest in Africa, and among the top ten globally. Iron meteorites themselves are rare, representing only a small fraction of all meteorites found on Earth, and are believed to originate from the core or mantle of ancient planetary bodies. Their study sheds light on the processes that formed planets, including our own.
A Dark Turn
Yet, even as scientists celebrated the meteorite’s scientific promise, troubling reports began to surface about how it had been removed from Somalia. In June 2024, a publication by a Somali expert detailed allegations of violence, theft, and bloodshed surrounding the meteorite’s removal. According to these reports, armed men—likely connected to local militias and, possibly, the terrorist group al-Shabaab—arrived at the site, forcibly removed the meteorite, and transported it to Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital. The operation was reportedly accompanied by violence, including gunfire and deaths, though the full extent remains difficult to verify due to the region’s instability and lack of independent reporting.
The meteorite was subsequently sold to Somali businessmen, who allegedly smuggled it out of the country. The details are murky, with