Türkiye's role in humanitarian efforts 'remarkable,' says UN official

By Adam Abu Bashal

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) – Türkiye's role in global humanitarian efforts is "remarkable" as the country continues to reach out to those in need around the world while struggling with its own challenges, a senior UN official told Anadolu.

"It is remarkable (that) Türkiye, as a country when it faces its own challenges like that (devastating twin earthquakes in February), continues to be an international player when it comes to humanitarian work," said Matthias Schmale, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator for Nigeria.

"I have seen it myself in the Middle East, in Somalia and my understanding is Türkiye is also providing a lot of support to Nigeria under governments-to-governments basis," he said.

In Türkiye, more than 50,000 people were killed when magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes struck the country’s southern and southeastern regions on Feb. 6.

Pointing to the "dramatic situation" in the northeastern Nigeria, Schmale stressed that around 4.3 million people who fled terrorism are facing severe food insecurity.

"We are particularly worried about 2 million children, half of that population is young children," he said, warning that if urgent action is not taken, more than 700,000 children may face severe acute malnutrition.

It called for the urgent mobilization of $391 million to help avoid a worse crisis.