Angola orders Gülen-linked school to close

Angola has ordered the closure of a school linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), the group said to have perpetrated the failed July 15 coup attempt, an official source said Wednesday.

Luanda also expelled all of the Turkish staff working at the Colegio Esperanca Internacional (Coespi) and their families – 66 people in total – due to national security reasons.

Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdoğan has rallied African leaders on the continent to help him fight Gülen's influence, lobbying hard against his longtime rival's African network during a recent visit to the continent.

In the decree signed by President Eduardo dos Santos and seen by AFP, Angola's long-time ruler said that the closure was to "protect the well-being and security of the citizens...and territorial integrity."

All of the Turkish staff linked to the school and their families have already been removed from Angola, an official source said.

Coespi was the only school linked to the FETÖ in Angola and had 750 students aged between 5 and 14 years old.

Last week, Angolan Interior Minister Angelo de Veiga Tavares defended the closure during an interview on state TV, saying that it was a "sovereign" decision for Luanda to take.

The Turkish Maarif (Education) Foundation has been tasked with taking over FETÖ schools around the world. The foundation is keen on creating a FETÖ-free Africa in the near future. Guinea, Niger, and Somalia have so far been the three countries to hand over all of the FETÖ schools.

Furthermore, the governments of Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Senegal, Gabon, and Mauritania have signed deals with the foundation to hand over the schools.

So far, over 80 FETÖ organizations operating abroad, including schools and training centers, have been shut down or transferred to the government.