Washington - President Obama signed an executive order July 20 that gives
the U.S. Treasury Department expanded authority to sanction individuals and
entities that contribute to the persistence of violence in Somalia.
The order gives explicit authority to the Treasury Department to sanction
individuals, wherever they may be located, who are acting to misappropriate
Somali public assets, the department said in a press release. It is also
aimed at political or military leaders who are recruiting or using children
as soldiers, as well as those who are responsible for committing certain
acts of violence against Somali civilians, including acts of sexual and
gender-based violence.
"By expanding our ability to impose sanctions on those engaged in despicable
acts of violence in Somalia, the United States is once again demonstrating
its full support for the Somali people," said Under Secretary for Terrorism
and Financial Intelligence David S. Cohen. "We are also taking aim, in
coordination with the international community, to cut off a key source of
revenue for al-Shabaab," a Somali terrorist group.
To implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2036, adopted
unanimously on February 22, the executive order prohibits the importation of
charcoal from Somalia into the United States and authorizes the Treasury
Department, in consultation with the State Department, to sanction people
who are importing or exporting charcoal from Somalia. Internationally, the
sale of charcoal is a significant revenue source for al-Shabaab, the
Treasury Department said.
In addition to being a significant revenue stream for al-Shabaab, the
production of charcoal leads to environmental degradation that has
contributed to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa, the
department said.
