Widespread dismay over Barakaat closure

Somalis from every walk of life have been reacting with dismay, anger and fear to the decision last week by the US government to order the closure the Al-Barakaat money transfer company, one of Somalia's biggest, which is also the only source of income for tens of thousands of destitute Somalis. Scores of people reportedly took to the streets in protest against the decision, according to Somali media sources, coinciding with independent statements of regret being issued by the interim president and a council of elders. "One is innocent until proved otherwise," said the interim president, Abdiqassim Salad Hassan, on Sunday, reflecting a commonly held belief that the US decision to shut down Al-Barakaat was taken with insufficient evidence. The US government last week ordered the closure of Al-Barakaat's offices in the US, and seized all its assets, claiming that its money transfer network was being used to channel funds to prime terror suspect Osama bin Laden and his Al-Qaeda (Al-Qa'idah) network. Representatives and the management of Al-Barakaat have vigorously denied the claims, arguing that their books are open to scrutiny, and that any investigation would vindicate them. Abdiqassim said on Sunday that the US should have produced evidence of Al-Barakaat's alleged support for terrorist groups before ordering its shutdown. Tens of thousands of expatriate Somalis use the money transfer system every month as the only means of sending remittances to family members living in Somalia, many of whom are entirely dependent on these remittances for their survival. "It was a surprise to all Somali people in general and for the government to hear from US President George Bush that Barakaat was included in the list of organisations linked to Al-Qaeda," Abdiqassim said on Sunday night. "There are thousands of Somali families, especially poor ones, who survive on remittances from relatives." Meanwhile, Somali elders met in the capital Mogadishu on Sunday to defend the role Al-Barakaat plays in Somalia, AFP reported on Sunday. They appealed to the US administration to launch a fair and thorough investigation.