Turkey donates 16 tons of food aid to Libya

ANKARA

Turkey’s state aid agency has donated 16 tons of food aid for displaced people in the Libyan capital Tripoli, the agency said on Sunday.

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) said it provided around 16 tons -- 700 packages -- of basic needs, including pasta, rice, tunafish, and cheese for families displaced by conflict in the region, said a TIKA statement.

A ceremony was held to deliver the aid to the Libyan Red Crescent in Tripoli.

The aid was given after the Libyan Red Crescent told TIKA of its dwindling resources, saying that it needed various staples for civilians evacuated from conflict zones.

TIKA is also expected to provide personnel training as well as uniforms and technical support for the Libyan Red Crescent.

Libya has remained dogged by turmoil since 2011, when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi.

Currently, two rival seats of power are vying for supremacy in Libya: an internationally recognized national unity government based in Tripoli, and a government supported by a legislative assembly based in the eastern city of Tobruk.

Reorting by Ecenur Colak:Writing by Handan Kazanci