Police close all Somali remittance banks

Ethiopian police closed down all Addis Ababa-based branches of Somali remittance banks on Monday, sparking angry scenes in the Ethiopian capital. Following the closure of Ethiopian branches of the Al-Barakaat bank last week, and the arrest of its local representative, the Ethiopian authorities said they now wanted to investigate all agencies which may be sponsoring terrorism. The BBC quoted an Ethiopian police spokesperson as saying that Monday's closures were an attempt to "root out agencies that were sponsoring terrorist networks". The BBC reported angry scenes in areas of Addis Ababa where Somalis live, particularly outside the offices of the closed banks, where people were crying and begging the police to reverse their decision. Expatriate Somalis around the world have for the past decade used this informal banking sector as the only means of transferring desperately needed funds to relatives still living in Somalia. The affected banks include Dahabshil, Tawfiq and Al-Amal. Ethiopian authorities said they had closed all remittance bank branches pending an investigation into their activities, adding that if no terrorist connections were established, then the banks could reopen.