Yusuf has been designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) due to his pivotal role in facilitating the delivery of foreign fighters, supplies, and ammunition for ISIS-Somalia.

ISIS-Somalia has emerged as a significant hub for disseminating funds and providing guidance to various ISIS branches and networks across the African continent.

The militant group primarily generates revenue through extortion, preying on local communities by demanding money and recruits under the looming threat of violence.

“The sanctions imposed today demonstrate the U.S. commitment to leveraging our authorities in support of our partners, including the Federal Government of Somalia, in their efforts to counter terrorist financing and strengthen national and regional stability and security,” emphasized Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Brian E. Nelson, following his meetings with government officials and the Somali private sector in Mogadishu.

This latest action by OFAC builds upon previous designations in November 2022, targeting a transnational ISIS-Somalia weapons trafficking network and senior members of the terrorist group.

Furthermore, it follows the U.S. military operation in January of this year that led to the targeted killing of Somalia-based ISIS leader Suhayl Salim Abd El-Rahman, also known as Bilal al-Sudani.

ISIS-Somalia continues to facilitate financial transfers, utilizing methods such as mobile money, to sustain its destabilizing activities across Africa.

The terrorist group’s primary revenue streams involve extorting financial institutions, mobile money service providers, and local businesses, with a particular focus on the Port of Bosaso in the Bari region of Somalia.

Abdiweli Mohamed Yusuf has been serving as the head of ISIS-Somalia’s finance office since at least late 2019. As a key senior member of the group, Yusuf reports to other ISIS leaders in Somalia, including ISIS al-Karrar office emir Abdiqadir Mumin and ISIS-Somalia emir Abdirahman Fahiye Isse Mohamud, both of whom were designated by the Department of State and OFAC in 2016 and 2022, respectively.

Yusuf’s involvement in directing the delivery of foreign fighters, supplies, and ammunition on behalf of ISIS further solidifies his role in managing the group’s generated revenue and facilitating fund transfers. The U.S. government’s action against him aims to disrupt ISIS-Somalia’s financial activities and curtail its ability to spread violence and terror across the continent.

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