US Money Transfers to Somalia at Risk

 　　The international aid organization Oxfam says thousands of Somali families could be cut off from much needed aid if a U.S. bank goes through with plans to discontinue its money-wiring services at the end of this month.

　　Last week, a small bank in the U.S. state of Minnesota announced it would stop wiring cash to "hawala" money transfer companies in Somalia because it feared the transfers risk violating U.S. counter-terrorism laws.  The laws seek to clamp down on the financing of terror groups.

　　Shannon Scribner, a humanitarian¹ policy manager at Oxfam, says the support that comes from the bank is crucial and that it is one of the few still offering the service.

　　"Within Somalia about $100 million in remittances² from the U.S. goes to Somalia every year," said Scribner.  "And this money comes from diaspora members, who are Somalis themselves that are living in the United States, extended  families and local charities."

　　The cut-off comes when more than a 250,000 Somalis are on the brink³ of starvation because of famine and political violence.  The al-Qaida linked terror group al-Shabab is in a deadly struggle with Somalia's fragile transitional government.

　　Hawala money transfers rely on an informal system of merchants who send money, for a fee, from one location to another.  Because it is informal, the U.S. and other countries worry the hawala system can be used to funnel⁴ cash to terrorist or criminal groups.

　　Studies that have looked at the remittances say funds from the Somali diaspora benefit as much as 40 percent of households in Somalia.

　　"The majority of [foreign] aid to Somalia is a fraction of what is needed, and so these remittances are really a lifeline for people in Somalia," added Scribner.

　　Without remittances, Oxfam warns, many Somalis could be forced by famine to go into refugee camps.

　　Members of the Somali community in Minnesota have protested the bank's decision, but a December 31 deadline to terminate the services is fast approaching.

　　Oxfam urges the U.S. government, the bank and the networks that handle the funds in Somalia to reach a solution before the deadline.  U.S. lawmakers from Minnesota are working to head off a crisis.

　　Scribner says the bank, hawala merchants, the Treasury⁵ Department and other parts of the U.S. government are discussing ways to solve the problem.  But, she says, it is not clear exactly who needs to approve a measure to allow remittances to continue that doesn't put banks at risk of violating the law.

　　"We're saying use due diligence, set up a process that is clear, you can vet⁶ it properly, but give these banks some reassurances⁷ that they are not going to be liable," said Scribner.

　　The U.S. wants to makes sure money does not go al-Shabab, one of the most dangerous insurgent⁸ groups in East Africa.  The group is fighting to overthrow⁹ Somalia's transitional government in a bid to impose a strict form of Sharia, or Islamic law.

　　Just several weeks before the bank announced it would end hawala remittances, two Minnesota women were convicted of conspiracy¹⁰ to provide support to al-Shabab.  In early December, a Somali woman was convicted on similar charges in the city of San Diego, California.

1 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

2 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

3 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

4 funnel   

n.漏斗；烟囱；v.汇集

参考例句：

• He poured the petrol into the car through a funnel.他用一个漏斗把汽油灌入汽车。
• I like the ship with a yellow funnel.我喜欢那条有黄烟囱的船。

5 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

6 vet   

n.兽医，退役军人；vt.检查

参考例句：

• I took my dog to the vet.我把狗带到兽医诊所看病。
• Someone should vet this report before it goes out.这篇报道发表之前应该有人对它进行详查。

7 reassurances   

n.消除恐惧或疑虑( reassurance的名词复数 )；恢复信心；使人消除恐惧或疑虑的事物；使人恢复信心的事物

参考例句：

• We have had some reassurances from the council that the building will be saved. 理事会保证会保留那座建筑，这使我们得到了些许安慰。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Everybody's reassurances have encouraged me. 大家的勉励鼓舞了我。 来自辞典例句

8 insurgent   

adj.叛乱的，起事的；n.叛乱分子

参考例句：

• Faruk says they are threatened both by insurgent and government forces.法鲁克说，他们受到暴乱分子和政府军队的双重威胁。
• The insurgent mob assembled at the gate of the city park.叛变的暴徒聚在市立公园的门口。

9 overthrow   

v.推翻，打倒，颠覆；n.推翻，瓦解，颠覆

参考例句：

• After the overthrow of the government,the country was in chaos.政府被推翻后，这个国家处于混乱中。
• The overthrow of his plans left him much discouraged.他的计划的失败使得他很气馁。

10 conspiracy   

n.阴谋，密谋，共谋

参考例句：

• The men were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.这些人被裁决犯有阴谋杀人罪。
• He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him.他声称这一切都是一场针对他的阴谋。