U.S. Drones Spotted Over Somalia; Pres. Obama Issues Executive Order
Written by Joe Wolverton, II, J.D.
Not a single day passes without a new story about the increase in the global and domestic use of drones.
On July 24, the Washington Post published an article describing the congestion of the skies over Somalia caused by drone traffic. The situation is so bad, says the Post, that there is a “danger to air traffic” in the area.
An additional problem posed by the proliferation of
the unmanned aircraft above the east African nation is that their
presence might be evidence of a violation of a 1992 United Nations Security Council arms embargo still in effect.
The article in the Post cites a UN report
in which officials of the international body recount several instances
where collisions between drones and commercial aircraft or objects on
the ground were “narrowly averted.” One such incident involved a drone
and a passenger plane flying above Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia.
The authors of the report of the investigation did
not directly implicate the United States. That said, the report
indicated that “at least two of the unmanned aircraft appeared to be
U.S.-manufactured and suggested that Washington has been less than
forthcoming about its drone operations in Somalia.”
According to the report, there have been 64
unauthorized drone deployments, fighter jet missions or attack
helicopter flights recorded in Somalia since June 2011. At least 10 of
the documented flights involved drones.
While the U.S. military keeps mum about its use of
drones around the world, it is known that drones are deployed and
launched from American military bases in Djibouti, the Seychelles, and
Ethiopia. In fact, in a statement released in June, the Obama
administration admitted that it “is engaged in a robust range of
operations to target Al-Qaeda and associated forces, including in
Somalia.”
In 2011, the military acknowledged that as part of
that operation a drone strike was launched against two suspected leaders
of al-Shabaab, an alleged al-Qaeda affiliate based in Somalia. Again,
the use of these drones and the firing of missiles at militants
seemingly violates the 1992 embargo, as drones carrying Hellfire
missiles are inarguable used for uses that are “exclusively military,”
in direct contravention of the terms of the embargo.
The story in the Post indicates that the
Pentagon is not bothered by accusations of breaking the embargo. To the
contrary, the article claims that the U.S. military intends to deploy
additional drones in the region, including the supplying of eight
hand-launched Raven drones to Kenyan forces stationed in Somalia as part
of the African Union mission.
While the overlords at the UN are aware and approve
of the sale of small low-flying drones to the African Union troops, the
reports of high-altitude large Predator and Reaper drones are not
covered by any exception to the embargo. While the U.S. military should
take no orders from the United Nations, it is curious that the global
body will deign to permit the United States to supply drones to the
armed forces operating under the blue UN flag, while forbidding their
use by the American military.
The documented increase in the use of drones in
Somalia — many, if not most, of which are believed to belong to the
United States — coincides with the missions being carried out in the
area by Special Operations units and their CIA cohorts. The Post
reports that these operatives “have gradually stepped up secret
missions inside Somalia to rescue hostages and hunt for al-Shabab
leaders.”
Perhaps there is more to the crescendo of American military activity in Somalia than is being discussed. On July 20, President Obama issued another of his nearly weekly executive orders, this one aiming to cripple the power of “terrorists” in Somalia.
President Obama writes in his edict that he intends
to address this emergency by cutting off “exports of charcoal from
Somalia, which generate significant revenue for al-Shabaab.”
Apparently, al-Shabaab relies on the sale of
charcoal to finance its attacks on the African Union soldiers and the
government of Somalia. Burned pieces of wood seem a very flimsy
foundation upon which to build a terrorist organization capable of
threatening global stability and peace, as indicated by President
Obama’s executive order. According to a fact sheet issued by the Treasury Department, charcoal is a "significant revenue source for al-Shabaab.”
"It is crucial that the trade in charcoal from
Somalia be prohibited to diminish this source of al-Shabaab's revenue
and further discourage the group from engaging in terrorist acts," the
fact sheet declares.
The fact sheet includes a statement by another
Treasury Department official. “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.”
Of course, one mustn’t overlook the green angle in
the war against international terrorism. The sale of charcoal by
al-Shabaab, the Treasury Department insists, "has led to environmental
degradation that has contributed to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in
the Horn of Africa."
Apart from the environmental considerations, there
is likely another, more enduring and long-range goal in the issuing of
this executive order.
Section 1 (a) (2) of the order purports to block
the assets of any person who commits “acts that threaten the
Transitional Federal Institutions or future Somali governing
institutions, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), or other
future international peacekeeping operations related to Somalia.”
Is the president laying the groundwork for future
overt American military operations in Somalia? Is this asset grab an
attempt to pave the way for “regime change” and the facilitation of the
imposition of a new government approved by the White House?
In
order to stop the “deterioration of the security situation and the
persistence of violence in Somalia,” the president has authorized the
secretaries of state and treasury “to take such actions, including the
promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted
to the President … as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this
order. The Secretary of the Treasury may redelegate any of these
functions to other officers and agencies of the United States Government
consistent with applicable law. All agencies of the United States
Government are hereby directed to take all appropriate measures within
their authority to carry out the provisions of this order.
As
authority for these actions, President Obama cites “United Nations
Security Council Resolution 2036 of February 22, 2012, and Resolution
2002 of July 29, 2011” in addition to the powers “vested in [him] as
President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America.”
Once
again, a president of the United States is subrogating the Constitution
with resolutions passed by the unelected, unaccountable, and
unconstitutional Security Council of the United Nations.
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