[CC] Somalia's Internet casualty of war on terrorism

[George(s) Lessard]

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DIGITAL FREEDOM NETWORK: Human rights and technology news

Somalia's Internet is casualty of war on 
terrorism 
by John DeSio, Digital Freedom Network 
(November 29, 2001) As the war against terrorism rolls on, one move against 
suspected Al Qaeda allies by the United States may have put one country's 
developing economy in jeopardy.
Somalia mapAs a part of the war against Osama bin Laden's terror network, 
two firms suspected by the United States of terrorist connections, the 
Somalia Internet Company and al-Barakaat, have been shut down. Somalia 
Internet Company is the nation's only Internet provider, and its closure has 
effectively shut Somalian citizens out of any Internet connection. In addition, 
al-Barakaat, which is essentially an informal, unregulated financial network, 
had been a main source of money transfers to the nation's people from out of 
country relatives, of which more than 80 percent relied upon to live.
Both companies have denied any link to bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network 
and have asked that the closures, which also severely affect the nation's 
international telephone capabilities, end immediately. Sixty-two organizations 
and people in various countries, including Somalia Internet Company and al-
Barakaat, have been accused of funneling money to bin Laden and his 
terrorist network, resulting in their forced closure.
Founded by bin Laden?
The United States government will not release any information regarding the 
closings, but has stated that al-Barakaat provides an easy method of 
transferring money for Al Qaeda operatives. It is also suspected that the 
agency's founder, Ahmed Noor Ali Jumale, is a business associate of bin 
Laden's, and may have funded the organization with money from the terrorist 
leader. Jumale was shocked at the allegations, and has denied any link to 
bin Laden and Al Qaeda.
"We have been hearing a lot of lies about us, but I never thought they would 
reach to this extent," said Jumale in an interview with U.S.-based daily 
Newsday. "We're asking for mercy and justice from President George Bush." 
Jumale states that he founded al-Barakaat, which means "blessing," fifteen 
years ago while working as a mid-level clerk with Citibank in the city of 
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
While there, Jumale noted that Somali workers were struggling to find a safe 
and inexpensive way to send money back to their families at home, and 
founded al-Barakaat as a means for such activity. The company grew to 
become the country's largest financial lifeline following the collapse of the 
Somali government in 1991, which threw the nation into a civil war.
A system of trust
Al-Barakaat functions as a "hawala," a money transfer system based on trust 
that is practiced in many Muslim countries. A person in New York wishing to 
send his money home to his family in Mogadishu will give the hawala, such 
as al-Barakaat, that sum of money, paying a five percent commission. The 
hawala will then contact an affiliated broker in Mogadishu, who will pay out 
the sum of money to the man's family, usually within 24 hours. 
The two brokers will settle the accounts at a later date. Hawalas are 
completely unregulated, making such transactions between terrorist groups 
easy and virtually undetectable. Al-Barakaat also provided telephone and 
postal service for the roughly one million residents of Mogadishu, Somalia's 
capital city, in addition to its money transfer services.
Somalia Internet Company was also a part of the consortium that held al-
Barakaat, forcing its closure along with the money transferring firm. The 
company maintains that it transfers mainly small amounts of money to its 
various clients, but the United States has noted that the September 11 
attacks may have only cost US$200,000 to execute, making such small 
transfers a vital part of any terrorist organization.
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