A few weeks after Ethiopia announced it would close schools linked to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) blamed for the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey, a network of schools in the country linked to the terrorist group announced they are changing ownership. Quoted by the Associated Press, Cecil Aydın, a coordinator at the schools, said it was "a business decision" to sell the school network to a group of unidentified educators from Germany.

Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome Wirtu announced last month that all schools linked to FETÖ would be handed over to a Turkish education foundation established to counter FETÖ influence abroad. The terror cult, which originally started out as a religious charity with a network of schools across the world, has been behind several attempts to seize power through toppling the government since 2013 and is accused in a string of crimes ranging from money laundering, forgery to illegal wiretapping, sham trials and blackmail.

Turkey seeks the closure of FETÖ-linked schools around the world as the schools run by Gülenist companies are viewed as a source of revenue for the terror cult as well as recruitment centers for new members. The Maarif Foundation, recently founded by the state as an alternative to FETÖ schools, took over the schools formerly owned by the terror cult after the governments in the countries in which they operate ordered their handover. So far, more than 80 FETÖ-linked companies and schools have been shut down or transferred to the Turkish government.

Schools in Ethiopia enroll nearly 2,000 students, many from elite Ethiopian families, according to the Associated Press report.

The Nejashi Ethio-Turkish International Schools opened nine years ago and have six branches with kindergartens, primary schools and high schools.