ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged cooperation with Nigeria in its fight against Boko Haram but said he expected the African nation’s support against a movement led by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating last year’s failed coup.
Speaking at a joint news conference on Thursday with Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, Erdogan reiterated Turkish assertions that schools run by Gulen’s movement in Africa were being used to raise “militants.”
Buhari was in the Turkish capital for a meeting of “Developing-8 (D-8)” countries, which also includes Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia and Pakistan.
Erdogan also said Turkish customs authorities were engaged in talks with their Nigerian counterparts over how hundreds of rifles allegedly made their way to Nigeria from Turkey.
Gulen denies involvement in the coup.
At a time of tense relations with the EU and the US, Turkey has been moving to broaden its influence in Africa, opening new diplomatic missions and air links.
Erdogan has himself been a frequent visitor to the continent, most recently traveling to Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar in January.
Erdogan said Turkey saw no difference between Boko Haram and Daesh and the group of Gulen.
“These organizations are the killers who feed off the blood of the innocent,” he said.
Asked how Turkey could help Nigeria defeat Boko Haram, Erdogan replied that intelligence cooperation was of the utmost importance.
Buhari will on Friday travel to Istanbul to attend the D8 summit.
“There are a lot of potentialities in terms of investment. Already a lot is being done in the education and the health sectors,” said Buhari.
“This will be strengthened and Nigeria is prepared to receive Turkish business people to come and explore more of Nigeria’s potentialities,” he added.
Erdogan said he believed both sides would push trade volumes above $1.245 billion.
“Turkish business people are ready to take on the development of Nigeria,” he said.
Turkey seeks Nigeria’s support against Gulen
Turkey seeks Nigeria’s support against Gulen
Gaza fuel running short after Israel closes borders amid Iran war
- Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the US
- Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Gaza is rapidly running out of its limited fuel supply and stocks of food staples may become tight, officials say, after Israel blocked the entry of fuel and goods into the war-shattered territory, citing fighting with Iran.
Israel’s military closed all Gaza border crossings on Saturday after announcing air strikes on Iran carried out jointly with the United States. Israeli authorities say the crossings cannot be operated safely during war and have not said how long they would be shut.
Few days’ worth of supplies
Gaza is wholly dependent on fuel brought in by trucks from Israel and Egypt and a lack of fresh supplies would put hospital operations at risk and threaten water and sanitation services, local officials say. Most Palestinians in Gaza are internally displaced after Israel’s two-year war with Hamas militants.
“I expect we have maybe a couple of days’ running time,” said United Nations official Karuna Herrmann, who directs fuel distribution in Gaza.
Amjad Al-Shawa, a Palestinian aid leader in Gaza, who works with the UN and NGOs, estimated fuel supplies could last three or four days, while stocks of vegetables, flour, and other essentials could also soon run out if the crossings remain shut.
Reuters was unable to independently verify those estimates.
Israel’s COGAT military agency, which controls access to Gaza, said that enough food had been delivered to the territory since the start of an October truce to provide for the population.
“(The) existing stock is expected to suffice for an extended period,” COGAT said, without elaborating. It declined to comment on potential fuel shortages.
The truce was part of broader US-backed plan to end the war that involves reopening the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, increasing the flow of aid into the enclave, and rebuilding it.
Hamada Abu Laila, a displaced Palestinian in Gaza, said the closures were stoking fear of a return of famine, which gripped parts of the enclave last year after Israel blocked aid deliveries for 11 weeks.
“Why is it our fault, in Gaza, with regional wars between Israel, Iran, and America? It is not our fault,” Abu Laila said.
