Obama freezes assets of Eritrea’s Presidential advisor and Somalia militants

Eritrea’s top Presidential advisor Yemane Ghebreab and several reknowned Somalia insurgent leaders, including Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys and Sheikh Al-Turki, were the targets of US President Barack Obama’s latest executive order.

Obama said the alleged terrorists and their financers were “contributing to the conflict in Somalia” and posed an “extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.” Sheikh Aweys is the leader of Hizbul Islam insurgent group that is currently fighting the Somalia transitional government and AU forces. Ogaden born Sheikh Al-Turki was one of the leaders of Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI), alongside Aweys, which wanted to annex the Ogaden region of Ethiopia and incorporate it into “Greater Somalia.” Both participated in the unsuccessful 1977 invasion of Ethiopia.

Yemane Ghebreab is the Head of the Political Affairs of People’s Front For Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), Eritrea’s ruling party led by President Isaias Afewerki. Yemane has been Afewerki’s most trusted ally, often leading PFDJ delegates around the world. Last month, an Eritrean news website “Asmarino” reported that Eritrea has allegedly replaced Yemane Ghebreab with PFDJ Diaspora leader Sophia Tesfamariam since the US sanctions prohibited Yemane from traveling to the West.

• Executive Order 13536 of April 12, 2010Blocking Property of Certain Persons Contributing to the Conflict in Somalia

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), section 5 of the United Nations Participation Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 287c) (UNPA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, find that the deterioration of the security situation and the persistence of violence in Somalia, and acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, which have repeatedly been the subject of United Nations Security Council resolutions (including Resolution 1844 of November 20, 2008; Resolution 1846 of December 2, 2008; Resolution 1851 of December 16, 2008; and Resolution 1897 of November 30, 2009), and iolations of the arms embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council in Resolution 733 of January 23, 1992, and elaborated upon and amended by subsequent resolutions (including Resolution 1356 of June 19, 2001; Resolution 1725 of December 6, 2006; Resolution 1744 of February 20, 2007; Resolution 1772 of August 20, 2007; Resolution 1816 of June 2, 2008; and Resolution 1872 of May 26, 2009), constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.

I hereby order:

Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the
possession or control of any United States person, including any overseas branch, of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:
(i) the persons listed in the Annex to this order;
and
(ii) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

(A) to have engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia, including but not limited to:

(1) acts that threaten the Djibouti Agreement of August 18, 2008, or the political process; or
(2) acts that threaten the Transitional Federal Institutions, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or other international peacekeeping operations related to
Somalia;

(B) to have obstructed the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Somalia, or access to, or distribution of, humanitarian assistance in Somalia;

(C) to have directly or indirectly supplied, sold, or transferred to Somalia, or to have been the recipient in the territory of Somalia of, arms or any related materiel, or any technical advice, training, or assistance, including financing and financial assistance, related to military activities;

(D) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, the activities
described in subsections (a)(ii)(A), (a)(ii)(B), or (a)(ii)(C) of this section or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;
or

(E) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order.

(b) I hereby determine that, among other threats to the peace, security, or stability of Somalia, acts of piracy or armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia threaten the peace, security, or stability of Somalia. (c) I hereby determine that, to the extent section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) may apply, the making of donations of the type of articles specified in such section by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to subsection (a) of this section would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by subsection (a) of this section.

(d) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section include but are not limited to:

(i) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and

(ii) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

(e) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued
pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted prior to the effective date of this order.

Sec. 2. (a) Any transaction by a United States person or within the United States that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

This order is effective at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 13, 2010.

BARACK OBAMA

SOURCE:  THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of Foreign Assets Control

GHEBREAB, Yemane (a.k.a. GEBRE AB, Yemane; a.k.a. GEBREAB, Yemane; a.k.a. YOHANNES, Yemane Ghebreab W.), Tegadelti Street, Asmara, Eritrea; 12 Keren Street, Asmara, Eritrea; DOB 21 Jul 1951; POB Asmara, Eritrea; Passport D000901 (Eritrea); alt. Passport D001082 (Eritrea) (individual) [SOMALIA]

AL-TURKI, Hassan Abdullah Hersi (a.k.a. AL-TURKI, Hassan; a.k.a. TURKI, Hassan; a.k.a. TURKI, Hassan Abdillahi Hersi; a.k.a. TURKI, Sheikh Hassan; a.k.a. XIRSI, Xasan Cabdilaahi; a.k.a. XIRSI, Xasan Cabdulle), Somalia; DOB circa 1944; POB Ogaden Region, Ethiopia; nationality Somalia (individual) [SOMALIA]

AL-TURKI, Hassan Abdullah Hersi (a.k.a. AL-TURKI, Hassan; a.k.a. TURKI, Hassan; a.k.a. TURKI, Hassan Abdillahi Hersi; a.k.a. TURKI, Sheikh Hassan; a.k.a. XIRSI, Xasan Cabdilaahi; a.k.a. XIRSI, Xasan Cabdulle), Somalia; DOB circa 1944; POB Ogaden Region, Ethiopia; nationality Somalia (individual) [SOMALIA]

AWEYS, Hassan Dahir (a.k.a. ALI, Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys; a.k.a. AWES, Hassan Dahir; a.k.a. AWES, Shaykh Hassan Dahir; a.k.a. AWEYES, Hassen Dahir; a.k.a. AWEYS, Ahmed Dahir; a.k.a. AWEYS, Sheikh; a.k.a. AWEYS, Sheikh Hassan Dahir; a.k.a. DAHIR, Aweys Hassan; a.k.a. IBRAHIM, Mohammed Hassan; a.k.a. OAIS, Hassan Tahir; a.k.a. UWAYS, Hassan Tahir; a.k.a. “HASSAN, Sheikh”), Somalia; Eritrea; DOB 1935; citizen Somalia; nationality Somalia (individual) [SOMALIA]

READ THE FULL LIST: Office of Foreign Assets Control

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Posted by farajat on Apr 18 2010 Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry