Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said his famine-afflicted country has undergone significant changes since the arrival of Turkish charities, the Anatolia news agency reported on Wednesday.
Ahmed, explaining that hunger is a national issue that plagues the Somali people, told Anatolia that the Turkish government has given the country great support in coping with this problem.
“Before the Turkish officials came here, the people were in danger of dying. Now children who were once waiting in line to die are full of hope and life and are playing in the streets,” the Somali president said.
“We thank the Turkish president, the prime minister and the people for all they have provided us with,” he added.
The Somali leader called the Turks the “true brothers” of the Somali people, and said that “the Somali people see Turkey as true brothers who have made and not forgotten their promises.” The opening of a Turkish Embassy in Somalia is an expression of Turkey’s desires and commitment to help their Somali brothers, the president also said.
Though the Turkish government and people’s outpouring of support is greatly appreciated, Ahmed stressed that the hunger crisis has not disappeared.
“We want the aid and support from Turkey to continue until we can stand on our own two feet,” Ahmed said. He also pointed to Somalia’s obstacles, namely the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab militants and the decades-long civil war. “Despite this, our people are full of hope and believe that this bad situation will change in the near future,” he said.
Source: Zaman
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