U.S. Shutdown Somalia's Internet.

[MattHiggs]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1672000/1672220.stm/

On 7 November, the Bush administration released the list of 62 organisations and individuals accused of financial links with Osama Bin Laden.

Reports say the Somali Internet Company was forced to close when it realised that its international gateway had been cut off.



The international phone service is suffering

Al-Barakaat, Somalia's largest company with interests in telecommunications, banking and postal services, closed its financial businesses after its assets were frozen.

Its international telephone service was then shut down when its international gateway - run jointly by AT&T and British Telecom - was also cut off.

The company, which has 600 shareholders, is the largest employer in Somalia.

Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Somalis depend on it to transfer money throughout the world.

Somalis living abroad use it to send money to their relatives back home as there are no other banking systems in Somalia since the downfall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991.

Somalia's prime minister has issued a decree appointing a special committee to investigate al-Barakaat, as well as all other remittance companies.

Along with denying all internet access to Somalis, the closures have severely restricted international telephone lines and shut down vitally needed money transfer facilities.

Correspondents say the closure of the companies will have a devastating effect on the country, which desperately needs the services they provide

I'm sure America will send in AOL to help them all out.

[General Ludd]

That's gotta suck.


They'll likely be in the ****er for a long time now.

[Lonestar]

In other news, when informed that the Somali Internet access had been reduced, the commoner on the street said "Huh?"

[General Ludd]

Originally posted by Lonestar
In other news, when informed that the Somali Internet access had been reduced, the commoner on the street said "Huh?"

Yes - and now that their economy has gone down the crapper, they'll likely never know what it is. Things like this have devastating effects on developing countries

[MattHiggs]

America ain't too hot on the humanitarian side of life are they.

P.S. That isn't an Infatuation style troll, as I commend America on how they've acted during their crisis.

[Sirotnikov]

Hey, if the americans are telling the truth, and they did have links with Osama, screw them (the companies, not the people).

They should not have linked themselves with terrorists.

Of course people suffer, as they do in each struggle. But what do you expect, USA should give everyone new internet access since the old ISP was linked to terrorists?

[MattHiggs]

They should drop AOL cd's out of planes instead of corn.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by MattHiggs
They should drop AOL cd's out of planes instead of corn.

I thought that we wanted to show the people that we didn't hate them.

[Solly]

Originally posted by MattHiggs
America ain't too hot on the humanitarian side of life are they.

P.S. That isn't an Infatuation style troll, as I commend America on how they've acted during their crisis.

I never criticised America on their actions, I'm pro-American.

[Ted Striker]

Well that article is a little ambiguous.

If it is true that they are cut off from internet access, we and the Brits should work with the Somalis to offer a LEGAL solution. But we shouldn't pay for it.

As far as America being at fault for this, that's horse****e, the COMPANY is at fault for it.

It's like a mobster who has 5 law abiding kids in his household but he makes all his money illegally. Don't blame the cops for putting him in jail, and starving his kids, blame HIM.

[Stefan Härtel]

Let's take it this way. In 1998, Somalia had 9,076,000 citizens, since 1991 there is an ongoing civil war, with no hope of a soon end. Hundreds are daying every day from the causes of the war, name it starvation, disease, anything. To some people, there is barely anything else than naked life. Do you think anybody of them would actually care for the internet? And to see it plainly, I am absolutely sure that many of them would prefer a plane dropping food and water to one dropping AOL CD's
Apart from that, AOL sucks

[Colonâ„¢]

I think you’re misjudging impact of the measures. As you could have read in the article, Al-Barakaat provides communication services and handles money international transfers. (besides, decent communication infrastructure is essential to financial transactions) Money transfers from relatives and sympathisers abroad are very often a lifeline for a poverty-stricken country and when that country also happens to have had a civil war and warlords roaming the south, one understands this is hardly trivial stuff to the man in the street, even if he has never heard of the internet.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the Muslim organisation in Somalia that US are targeting (like Al-Itihaad) have captured a crucial position (with their civil activities) in the little economic and social fabric left of the country, so this all is hardly trivial stuff.

[Solly]

I agree with Colon, it is hardly trivial stuff.

[blackice]

unfortunate people suffer because of these terrorists but it should be widely known now samolia is another afgahnistan. It may very well be the next target of the war.

[History049]

Do terrorists deserve Internet? play bad and big brother takes it away.