The United States has sanctioned Kenyan transport company Crown Bus, as well as 15 other companies and individuals, for facilitating Al-Shabaab’s $100 million annual income flows.
Haleel Commodities Ltd, a Dubai-based company with subsidiaries in Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, and Cyprus, is among those sanctioned.
Mohammed Jumale Ali Awale and Faysal Yusuf Dini, both from Kenya, are also included in the designation, as is at least one other Kenyan national.
Crown Bus, according to the US, has “supported al-Shabaab’s logistical operations” in addition to being a part of the organization’s financial network.
According to the US Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Awale and Dini’s designations are linked to one another as well as the Haleel Group.
The list also includes at least three other people from Kenya, Uganda, Cyprus, and the United Arab Emirates.
According to a Ugandan court document, Farhan Hussein Hayder, who the US claims “directs and manages Haleel Group’s branches in Kenya, Uganda, Cyprus, and the UAE, and supports al-Shabaab by generating funds,” has previously been investigated by Kenyan anti-terrorist police.
Haleel Commodities, also known as Haleel Group, is a multinational corporation that operates a fintech unit in Cyprus and an electronics company in Somalia.
Crown Bus Service was founded in 2004 and began full operations on the Nairobi-Mombasa route in August 2006, according to the company’s LinkedIn page.
It now serves a wide network, connecting Mombasa, Nairobi, Western Kenya, and Ugandan destinations.