Turkish envoy refutes Somali Islamists' expired food aid allegation
|
MOGADISHU, Feb. 7, 2012 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish ambassador to Somalia on Tuesday strongly dismissed the Islamist group Al-Shabaab's claim that Turkish provides spoiled aid to displaced people in the southern part of the war-ravaged African country.
Speaking to reporters, the new Turkish ambassador to Somalia, Cemalettin Kani Torun, described the Islamist group's allegation as "totally false."
"This is totally false information and (there is) no truth in this information," Torun said at his office in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
An Islamist official this week accused Turkish aid agencies operating in Somalia of distributing expired food and medicine to the internally displaced people.
The official told a pro-Islamist radio station that the Turkish intervention in Somalia was "selfish and driven by neo-colonial intentions," a charge vehemently denied by the Turkish ambassador to Somalia.
Torun said all the food aid distributed by Turkish aid agencies was regularly checked and that the closest expiry date for food aid currently handed out was in June 2012. He said Turkey's intention in Somalia was "purely humanitarian," adding that his country had no history of colonization.
Turkey launched a massive humanitarian campaign in many areas in Somalia including Al-Shabaab controlled regions. Turkish aid efforts came following a high-profile visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Somali capital.
Source: Xinhua
Copyright © 2012 WardheerNews.com |
