New US sanctions on Al Shabaab signal return to old crimes

Somali protest

Demonstrators attend a rally against the Al Shabaab militia group in Mogadishu on January 12, 2023. PHOTO | HASSAN ALI ELMI | AFP

The United States this week cracked the whip further on Al Shabaab illegal charcoal sellers, imposing sanctions to deter one of the Somali militants’ enduring crimes.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated (target for sanctions) Al-Shabaab operatives and illicit charcoal smugglers in Somalia.