Erdogan claims 'terrorists' active in Maputo

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan File picture: Khalfan Said/AP

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan File picture: Khalfan Said/AP

Published Jan 25, 2017

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Maputo – Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has on Wednesday called for Mozambican support in fighting what he called the “group of terrorists” who launched an abortive coup against the Turkish government in June last year.

“We would like to count on your support to fight against this group,” he said speaking to reporters, alongside his host, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi, after the two leaders had held discussions behind closed doors.

The group in question is led by a Turkish Islamic preacher, Fethullah Gulen, who was once an ally of Erdogan, but has lived in exile in the United States since 1999. The group is usually referred to as Hizmet (“the Service”) by its followers, while the Turkish authorities call it FETO (the Turkish acronym for Gulenist Terror Organisation).

Gulen condemned the 2016 coup attempt and strongly denied any involvement in it. The failed coup was the excuse for a massive crackdown by Erdogan in which tens of thousands of people were arrested, including judges, teachers and journalists.

Erdogan claimed that Turkish “terrorist cells” were active in Mozambique. “We know that cells of this group are present here in Mozambique, and are replicating their initiatives and their hidden agendas in several parts of the world,” he said.

These alleged terror cells, “have a vast network of schools and associations, and they have a very broad network here in Mozambique too,” he continued.

“We know that in Mozambique they have infiltrated. What they are trying to achieve in Turkey they will also want to achieve in Mozambique sooner or later. This is something to which we are drawing your attention.”

Erdogan’s African tour includes visits to Tanzania and Madagascar. Before leaving Ankara, he declared that one of his goals was “to expose the activities of FETO in African countries”.

The best-known Gulenist initiative in Mozambique is the Willow International School in Maputo. This school has a reputation for high academic standards, and many members of the Mozambican elite send their children to study there.

In his public remarks at the press briefing, Nyusi made no mention of Gulen, of Turkish “terrorists”, or of the Willow School, although it is not known what reply he may have given Erdogan in their private meeting.

Erdogan also declared that his government intended to set up a southern African regional branch of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) in Maputo to stimulate an increase in cooperation between Turkey and all the countries of the region.

Agreements were signed on suppressing entry visas for diplomatic passport holders, on commercial and economic cooperation, on the promotion and protection of investments, and on tourism, but no details were made public.

African News Agency

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