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Somalia

Somali groups suspend wire transfers from Minnesota

30 Dec 2011 01:32

By David Bailey

MINNEAPOLIS Dec 29 (Reuters) - A group of businesses providing money transfers between Minnesota and Somalia suspended services on Thursday, saying it was forced into the move after a U.S. bank shut down what the group called a vital lifeline to the war-torn African country.

Somalia has appealed the decision by Sunrise Community Banks to end the remittances program from Minnesota, the state that is home to the largest Somali-American community in the United States. U.S.-based Somalis send about $100 million back home each year, according to the U.S. Treasury.

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