Turkish charity to restore iconic mosque in Ethiopia

By Addis Getachew and Ibrahim Tigli

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AA) - The Turkish Coordination and Cooperation Agency (TIKA) has pledged to repair the iconic Al Nejashi Mosque in Ethiopia's northernmost region of Tigray.

Al Nejashi is a 7th-century mosque, the first in Ethiopia, believed to have been built by the companions of Prophet Muhammad after they were exiled from Mecca and migrated to Ethiopia.

The mosque had received a major restoration four years ago with the support of Turkey's state-run TIKA. However, in recent armed conflict, it sustained considerable damage from mortars.

Tigray has been under intense international spotlight after early November last year when the Ethiopian government launched a sweeping law enforcement operation in the region against the separatist Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).

According to the UN, more than one million people were displaced in the region due to the conflict that started in November 2020 in the Tigray region of Ethiopia and this ongoing conflict has left more than 5 million people in urgent need of food aid.

"We have been in contact with the authorities in [Tigray's capital] Mekele," Cengiz Polat, TIKA coordinator in Ethiopia, told Anadolu Agency. “Let things settle down, and we will restore it.”

Last week, TIKA sent humanitarian aid to Tigray where, according to Polat, “civilians are suffering more than ever due to the conflict.”

“It is a humble donation, but we do it from the heart,” he said.

The donation comprises tons of food, including lentils, rice, oil and flour.

“Turkish government will soon make another donation of non-food items,” he added.

In 2005, TIKA opened its first office in Ethiopia.

“Just a month ago we provided help to Legatafo refugee camp in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, we helped the cancer center of Ethiopia and also an orphanage,” he said.

“We just want to show that Ethiopia is very important for us in Africa, and we want to improve our relationship with Ethiopia and we want to help Ethiopia in these hard times."