KHARTOUM, Sudan

The Turkish Maarif Foundation-run school in Khartoum, Sudan was opened on Monday for the new academic year, amid tight precautionary measures against the coronavirus pandemic.

“Maarif schools build bridges of friendship between Sudan and Turkey,” the school director, Fahrettin Keskin, told Anadolu Agency.

He said the school provides educational services to 1,665 students in Khartoum.

Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to take over the administration of overseas schools previously linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO).

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, in which 251 people were martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, and judiciary.

FETO has a considerable presence abroad, including private schools that serve as a revenue stream for the terror group.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara