Guinea applauds Pres. Sirleaf

President Alpha Conde of the Republic of Liberia has applauded his counterpart of Liberia, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and the Government of Liberia for the dedicated effort in containing the deadly Ebola Virus Disease here.

In a joint Press Stake-Out with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and senior government officials in Monrovia Tuesday, February 10, 2015, the Guinean leader called for more robust effort between the two countries because the number of cases in the subregion was still high, except for Liberia, which he noted, has “bait slow” cases. 

He stressed that Liberia needs great preparedness in eradicating the deadly Ebola virus, adding that his coming to Liberia is to demonstrate  partnership and solidarity between Guinea and Liberia.

President Conde urged that the “promising result” seen in Liberia “must be shown regionally to avoid retransmission” of the Ebola virus to foreign countries by people who are infected.

The Guinea President called on the international community to stand behind the affected countries, and stressed the need for the reestablishment of basic social services, including health and economic activities in every Ebola affected countries.

He also pleaded with national stakeholders to work together to preserve Liberia’s hard won peace, and commended all Liberians for doing their part in ensuring a peaceful senatorial election by observing public health care guidelines against Ebola.

Before the joint Press Stake-Out, President Sirleaf held a closed door meeting with President Conde, representatives of national and international partners, and civil society organizations involved in the fight against the Ebola Virus.

“We will be with you until the outbreak is under control and the country has recovered,” he pledged, while expressing confidence that the terrible outbreak can be defeated.

Above all, President Conde paid tribute to the “dedication and commitment” of Liberians, saying, “Our response strategy is working.”

He said more people were getting access to treatment, more contacts were being traced, burials becoming safer and communities were mobilizing to contact themselves.

However, the Guinean leader sees a long way to go in achieving zero cases in Liberia and the entire region, a challenge, which he said requires everyone’s support.

He thanked the thousands of national and international responders here for making life-saving contributions to the process of minimizing the virus in Liberia.

For her part, President Sirleaf praised the leadership of the Guinean President for recognizing the Ebola Virus and its devastating effect on Liberia, adding that President Conde’s response against the outbreak to all affected countries has enabled such a success in Liberia today.

The Liberian leader also recognized the global leadership of her Guinean counterpart over the years as President of Guinea, and Chairman of the Mano River Union.

By Lewis S. Teh