U.S. Treasury Clarifies OFAC Sanctions Records; Hassan Dahir Aweys Remains Under U.S. and U.N. Sanctions

Washington (WDN) – The U.S. Department of the Treasury has carried out a broad administrative update of its sanctions database, prompting confusion in some quarters over whether veteran Somali Islamist figure Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys had been removed from the U.S. sanctions list.

Official records make clear that he has not. The update, implemented by the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), is part of a wider effort to improve the accuracy, consistency, and usability of its sanctions database by eliminating duplicate entries, correcting outdated information, and consolidating multiple aliases into single records.

Among those affected by the technical update was Hassan Dahir Aweys. However, the revision does not represent the lifting of U.S. sanctions against him.

Administrative Update—Not Sanctions Relief