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Africa Horn
Al-Shabab bans mobile phone money transfers in Somalia
2010-10-19
[BBC] Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has ordered mobile phone companies to stop their popular money transfer services, saying they are "unIslamic".
If people are transferring money via phone, they don't need to carry it around, which makes them ever so much harder to rob by the Noble Lions of Islam.
Mobile phone banking was introduced in the northern Somaliland region in 2009 and has now spread across the country. Al-Shabaab and its allies control much of southern Somalia and one mobile phone company official said he had "no option but to obey" the order.

Despite years of conflict, Somalia's telecommunications sector is thriving. Mobile phones are a common sight in the capital, Mogadishu, and three companies currently offer mobile phone banking.

But the al-Qaeda linked group has given them three months to stop. Al-Shabaab says mobile phone banking could expose Somalia to interference by Western countries, through the international partners of the Somali telecommunications firms.

Some observers believe the ban may be intended to block a rival to the traditional money transfer systems, known as hawala, which al-Shabaab can influence, or tax, more easily.
That, too.
Posted by:Fred

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