Turkish experience in Sudan: making a difference


Date posted: February 12, 2011

ABDULLAH BOZKURT

Turkish volunteers also established what many here say is a very accomplished school in the capital, nurturing and educating future generations of Sudanese who will be keen to maintain friendly ties between the two nations.

I was not planning to end up in Darfur last week when I booked the flight to Ankara from Strasbourg, where I covered the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. In fact, the next day, I was already scheduled to depart for Egypt to meet with the prime minister, foreign minister and other Egyptian officials until I got a last-minute call during a short layover in Munich for a connecting flight.

An official on the phone from the Egyptian Embassy in Ankara was advising me to delay my departure until the dust settled in his homeland.

While I was ready to relax and planned to take the week off, I got another call, this time from the office of State Minister Faruk Çelik, asking me if I was available to travel with the minister to Khartoum and then to Darfur. In an instinctive response, I said yes to a trip that would take me not to Egypt but to its neighbor across the southern border. I thought this would give me a chance to see the situation on the ground in Darfur. Well it did.

Despite all the criticism and the occasional outcry leveled at Turkish foreign policy vis-à-vis Sudan, some of which I share as well, one thing was made clear to me during this trip: Turks are really making a difference on the ground in Darfur no matter what critics say. Both the government-run Red Crescent Society and nongovernmental organizations like Kimse Yok Mu from Turkey are working hard on a daily basis to improve the lives of war-fatigued Darfur residents, numbering around 4 million.

One volunteer at the Red Crescent was telling me that Turks are the only ones who can wander the streets of Darfur without any fear of attack or provocation. The people of Darfur in particular and the Sudanese in general seem to have opened up their hearts to Turks, who apparently came to these people for no other reason than that of extending a helping hand to citizens in this struggling country. For example, the trust built up over time with Turkish doctors really made the field hospitals run by Turks one of the most attractive centers for those who seek treatment. The rumors of experimental trials run by Western drug companies still linger in the streets of Darfur.

There are many success stories here that could make intriguing news pieces. One businessman was telling me how he dodged a traffic ticket when police found out that he was Turkish, and others were recalling different tales, all showing the warmth of the Sudanese people for Turkish expats living and working here. Turks have been able to convert this goodwill into successful enterprises as well by recently winning a number of lucrative state contracts to build a highway, bridges and part of the new airport.

Turkish volunteers also established what many here say is a very accomplished school in the capital, nurturing and educating future generations of Sudanese who will be keen to maintain friendly ties between the two nations. The school, established in 1999, quickly turned out to be a very successful institution, ranking fourth among close to 800 private schools operating in the capital of Khartoum. Kimse Yok Mu is also planning to establish a school with a capacity of 600 students in the capital of Darfur near the airport. They have already acquired the land and drawn up projects, and soon they will break ground, I have been told.

Not only at the leadership level, but there is a sense of a strong bond with Turkey among the average people as well. It has been demonstrated time and again as Turkish State Minister Çelik made appearances with locals on a couple occasions. At the groundbreaking ceremony for a hospital building in Nyala, the event presenter was reminding the audience of the historical fact that they are the descendents of the Ottomans who once ruled this region in the 17th century. There are historic buildings around Khartoum that include a mosque built by the Ottoman governor of the time. In reciprocal remarks, Çelik thanked the Sudanese people for their support for the Ottoman Turks during World War I, vowing their contribution would never be forgotten.

 

Source: Today's Zaman , 08 February 2011


Related News

21 NGO’s Address President to Grant Refugee Status to Mustafa Emre Çabuk in Georgia

21 Georgian NGOs have recently signed a joint statement addressing the President of Georgia, with a request to grant refugee status to Mustafa Emre Çabuk and his family, with the statement being published on Georgian Young Lawyer’s Association website.

Taliban Shuts Down Turkish Schools in Afghanistan

Kate Clark Taleban shuts more Afghan schools BBC reported that Taleban shut down schools opened by Gulen Movement in Afghanistan. Schools were providing contemperary education for free. Girls and women are hard hit by the Taleban’s stance on education. Below is the story by BBC. Six schools run by a Turkish Islamic group have been […]

Fethullah Gülen urges followers to stick to path despite attacks

Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen called on his followers on Monday to “just keep walking and not stop” in the face of controversial government plans to abolish privately-funded educational institutions known as dershanes, which assist medium and high school students to prepare for national college and university admission examinations.

Pak-Turk Schools react to baseless claims

Turkish Schools in Pakistan reacted to the recent claims that the schools will be nationalized. “The claims are entirely baseless without any merit,” the schools’ officials said.

Romanian Minister of Education gives Turkish Schools Teachers a Standing Ovation

In Romania students and teachers that ranked highly at the 2011-2012 international Olympiads were awarded during an official ceremony attended by Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Minister of Education, Ecaterina Andronescu. Out of the 138 award-winning students, 44 were from the Turkish school in Romania, Lumina Educational Institutions. After the Lumina students won one-third of […]

Diagonal Dialogue from Turkey to Senegal

Teranga is another name for Senegal. It means hospitable in the Wolof language. It is a door that opens from the West to Africa and from Africa to the West. Here, the vast sand sea of Great Sahara comes to an end; desert gives way to the giant waves of the Atlantic Ocean and scorching […]

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Gülen sues Ankara chief public prosecutor for defamation after terrorist label

Multilingual singer Julie Slim breathes life into songs

Hot meals for 3 million Syrians from Kimse Yok Mu

Turks threatened over alleged links to the Gülen movement find a safe haven in Greece

Kimse Yok Mu gives away meat aid to six thousand Afghan families

Turkey’s Gulen crackdown hits Canada

Watkins’ Mind Body Spirit Magazine included Fethullah Gulen among its 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News