ANKARA: Turkeys Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he would visit famine-hit Somalia along with his family in the coming days as part of an effort to draw international attention to the East African countrys plight.
It is impossible for us to be spectators to the human tragedy in Africa, Erdogan said.
My foreign minister and I will visit Somalia with our families. So, we will get a chance to see the situation there, Erdogan told a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Ankara.
The last leader to visit was Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in November last year. His army contributes more than half of a 9,000-strong African Union peacekeeping force propping up the government. But no one from outside Africa has been for a very long time.
Istanbul will host a meeting on Aug. 17 of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference aimed at galvanising support for Somalia and drought-struck neighboring regions. The meeting, which comes during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, was proposed by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
Turkey sent two cargo planes laden with 50 tons of food and medical supplies to Somalia on Monday and the Turkish Red Crescent is working with the governments development agency and Office of Religious Affairs to raise donations from the public. 
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