Turkey to send medical aid to Somalia to fight coronavirus
Somali workers in protective suits and civilians carry the body of a man suspected to have died of the coronavirus disease, for burial in Madina district outside of Mogadishu, Somalia April 30, 2020. REUTERS


Turkey will send medical supplies to Somalia to help the country combat the coronavirus outbreak, the Turkish presidential spokesman said on Friday.

"Today, by instructions of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a cargo load of medical supplies, masks, overalls, test kits and other equipment is going to Somalia to help them against COVID-19," İbrahim Kalın said on Twitter.

"Turkey stands together with Somalia and Africa against all calamities," Kalın added.

Recalling Erdoğan's first visit to Somalia in 2011 when "tens of thousands of people had died because of the famine," Kalın said, "the visit drew the world's attention to the forsaken country of Somalia, and Erdoğan became the hope of our Somali brothers and sisters."

Since first appearing in Wuhan, China last December, the coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19, has spread to at least 187 countries and regions, with the U.S. and Europe among the hardest-hit areas.

Over 3.27 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the death toll surpassing 233,700 and more than 1 million recoveries, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the U.S.