MONROVIA, August 26 (LINA) – Information Minister Lewis Brown has said the isolation of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone by some African countries is “unfair and un-African.”
He said the decision by some African countries to shut down their airlines in Liberia and also refuse to allow ships that dock in Liberia under safe protocol and international practices to dock on their shores is not only unfair, but is against the spirit of African solidarity.
He made the statement at a special press briefing held in the Charles Gbeyon Conference Hall at the Ministry of Information in Monrovia on Tuesday.
According to Minister Brown, the government is working with international partners in ensuring that Ebola is tackled and eradicated from the sub-region, adding, “these stringent measures taken by our colleagues undermine the peace and economic stability of the African continent.”
“We are not asking you to take unnecessary risks for us, but when you start to shutdown airlines in Liberia and stop passengers and flight crew from sleeping in your countries, as has been done in the case of Brussels, it threatens the African solidarity we once enjoyed,” Brown asserted.
He pointed out that considering these harsh measures taken by other African countries, it will make it difficult for Liberia and the rest of the countries badly hit by the virus to import the kind of supplies and experts they need to help them combat the disease.
The Information Minister called on those countries involved to revise their decision by reopening their airlines in the three affected countries and by allowing ships leaving these countries to dock at their seaports, noting, “Doing so will greatly help us curb the spread of the disease.”
LINA/PSN/JGT/TSS/PTK