UN Official Accuses Trump Of ‘Naked Aggression,’ Heaps Praise On Failed State Instead

Ben Saul, the U.N. Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, accused the Trump administration of “naked aggression” and “renewed imperialism,” while lauding Somalia’s record on human rights.

“Countering terrorism has excused naked aggression and renewed imperialism against Iran and Venezuela, raining death and making us all less safe,” he told the U.N. Human Rights Council. “Despite these abuses, many responsible states remain committed to human rights while countering terrorism. My report on visiting Somalia last year shows how a country facing an existential terrorist threat is strengthening, not sacrificing, human rights.”

U.N. SAYS SOMALIA LEADS ON HUMAN RIGHTS: Ben Saul, the U.N. Rapporteur on human rights and counter-terrorism, says the U.S. is “raining death”—but Somalia is a model “responsible state” that “is committed to strengthening human rights.”

FYI: China donated $150,000 to Ben Saul. pic.twitter.com/74ILPalq2P

— UN Watch (@UNWatch) March 17, 2026

Last week, Saul asserted the United States had no lawful right to attack Iran because its only justification would be to intercept “an order to the state’s military to fire a weapon in the very near future,” meaning that a nation would have to wait until the nuclear bomb was ready to be sent before acting.

“There must be an armed attack occurring, or an armed attack must be imminent,” he stated. “Imminent means ‘about to occur,’ there’s some elasticity in that concept, of course, but it does not extend to bombing a country when they don’t even have the weapon yet that you say you fear, let alone having made any decision to use them against any other country. Imminent means you’ve intercepted an order to the state’s military to fire a weapon in the very near future.”

Saul’s office received $150,000 from China in 2025.

As for Somalia’s record, even left-wing Amnesty International acknowledged in 2024:

Civilians continued to bear the brunt of the ongoing armed conflict between the Somali government, supported by its international allies, and the armed group Al-Shabaab. While large numbers of civilian casualties were reported, there was no accountability for violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

The UN Assistance Mission in Somalia reported 854 civilian casualties (295 killed and 559 injured) between January and September. Al-Shabaab was responsible for 65% (560) of all recorded casualties, while the others were attributed to state security forces, clan militias, and international and regional forces. Internally displaced people continued to face significant human rights violations and abuses. More than 552,000 were internally displaced due to floods, drought, conflict and food insecurity. According to the UN, nearly 200,000 people – most of whom were already internally displaced – were forcibly evicted nationwide between January and December. Women and children, who faced risks of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and evictions, constituted more than 80% of the displaced population.

The Coalition of Somalia Human Rights defenders reported in 2025: “This report documents grave human rights violations committed in Somalia during 2025, including abusive use of the death penalty, torture, extra-judicial killings, conflict-related sexual violence, violations against women and children, enforced evictions, and mass displacement. In 2025, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Somalia operated in an increasingly hostile and high-risk environment marked by systematic intimidation, violence, and repression.”

Human Rights Watch noted last year, “In May, the Somali government called on the United Nations Security Council to terminate the UN political mission in Somalia (UNSOM), later walking back on the timeframe. … The government did not review the country’s outdated penal code or establish a national human rights commission.”