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NEWS EXTRA News Extra
VOL 8 NO.639
FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014
See PG 2
CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA
MARKET BUYING AND SELLING RATES
LIBERIAN DOLLARS PER US DOLLAR
These are indicative rates based on results of daily surveys of
the foreign exchange market in Monrovia and its environs. The
rates are collected from the Forex Bureaux and the commercials
banks. The rates are not set by the Central Bank of Liberia.
Source:
Research, Policy and Planning Department,
Central Bank Liberia,
Monrovia, Liberia
THURSDAY, JULY10, 2014 L$91.00/US$1 L$92.00/US$1
BUYING SELLING
L$91.50/US$1 L$92.50/US$1
L$93.00/US$1 L$92.00/US$1
WEDNESDAY, JULY16, 2014
THURSDAY, JULY17, 2014
Business pg.5
House Passes Pension Bill Lavishly
spending State Resources
LIFETIME LUXURY
FOR LIBERIAN
OFFICIALS
HOW CAN LIBERIA COPE WITH
AMERICAN AIRLINE DEPARTURE?
Gambia Bird, Kenya Airways Keen on Taking Advantage of regional market but Direct US fights still a challenge although
some remain optimistic: There will be no difference as G-Bird makes six fights per week to Liberia. It has become a
source of convenience for us market women between Robertsfeld and Accra and other places, said one Market woman.
'NOT
AUTHORIZED
TO SPEAK'
Ministry of Justice PRO Somersaults
on Statement of remorse attributed to
minister
FILLING
DELTA VOID
Page 2 |
Frontpage
Friday, July 18, 2014
Selma Lomax, selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com
Gbarnga and Ganta, Bong and Nimba Counties
Monrovia-
T
his is the true-life, shocking story of a young woman
Fatu(not real name), a former prostitute who spent 15 of
her 32 years on earth in the sex trade, sleeping with up
to three men daily in the major cities of Bong and Nimba
counties.
It chronicles her diabolical form of revenge after discovering she
was HIV/AIDS positive in 2003 and her remarkable turnaround at an
unlikely destination in Bong County.
Growing up in a rural village in the County, the thrills of city life
grew increasingly more attractive for Fatu, a 14-year-old who hated
school and was notoriously rebellious. Striking a plan with friends,
she abandoned school one fateful day and set out for Gbarnga, the
capital of Bong County, leaving her home and family behind.
When we came Gbarnga, I found a lot of girls who were older
than me who were in this business of prostitution, Fatu explained.
They introduced me how to behave in order to seduce men and get
clients. Two years down the line, the young girl was already pregnant
for an unknown father. Attempts to abort the child through native
concoctions all failed and she resolved to return home to have her
child.
However, the desire to prostitute continued even after giving birth. I
was even prostituting when I was breastfeeding and eventually, my
mum took the child away from me. Fatu immediately returned to
Gbarnga, linking back up with her group. Two years later, Fatus mum
sent a message to her that a family relative was willing to take her to
Nimba to save the family from shame and get her out of the mess.
She eventually agreed.
When I arrived in Karnwee, the rural part of Nimba, I felt I was
imprisoned. I couldnt go to clubs, smoke, drink or meet men that
is what I wanted to do. Fighting her aunt daily, she eventually threw
Fatu out of her home. It was celebration for me that I can go back
to the same lifestyle. I already made a group of friends that were in
prostitution. They introduced me to the area where I could hunt for
men and sleep with them.
Living a lavish and promiscuous life on the streets of Ganta, Fatu
had lost all touch with her family. Business was booming due to
the infux of men in the city who would regularly patronize her and
also introduced her to hard drugs. However, the consequences of her
actions were about to catch up on her.
In 2012, I discovered that I was pregnant again. I didnt know the
father because I was sleeping with three or four men a day I just
wanted money to enjoy, she recounted. Encouraged by a fellow
prostitute not to abort, fatu visited a hospital in Ganta when the
pregnancy reached six months where they conducted several tests.
That is when I discovered I was HIV/AIDs positive. According to
her shock, bitterness, rage, emotions ran wild within her heart. There
was this voice that said Now, its better you die!
Knowing that death was close, the embittered prostitute resolved to
take as many men as possible along with her. I cannot count how
many men I have infected but they are more than twenty. If any man
told me we should use a condom, I would tell him, Look at how I
look? I cannot have such a disease. So, the man would end up trusting
me. They are over twenty.
It was in 2013 that she encountered a Nigerian man while looking
for a more serious relationship. The man became attracted to me
and asked for my contact number. He told me he wanted to come
to Gbarnga and visit me. When he arrived, the couple forged a
relationship, culminating in Fatu falling pregnant. She did not divulge
her health status.
After giving birth, Fatu had a bout of guilt and visited a pastor at Christ
Baptist Church in Gbarnga to confess her sins. After confessing to
the pastor, who is Liberian, he met the father of my child and asked if
he really knew me. He told him, This girl confessed to me that she is
HIV/AIDS Positive. Patiences Nigerian lover fainted upon hearing
the news and was rushed to hospital.
After recovering, he ran away from her, moving to Ganta. However,
their young baby was nearing the age of nine months. Fatu was
desperate. Her fnances were stagnant and she was tired of prostitution.
After pleading with the Nigerian, a settlement was eventually reached.
He said the only thing he would do for me was to give me money to
go to Ganta and drop the child with my parents in Gbarnga.
Seizing the opportunity to visit Ganta, Fatu decided to visit the
famous church on the Sanniquellie-Ganta road. When I arrived in
Ganta, they put me in a car and took me straight to his house where
I only stayed one week there. Then I had to search for the church.
On Sunday June 7, Fatu sat gingerly in the huge auditorium of the
church, Free Deliverance Church. It was the time of prayer from the
wise men and she was nervous. Before the wise man came close,
I felt like electricity dividing my body and I started shivering. I
dont know what happened when he prayed for me. Fatu received
deliverance from the demon that pushed her to a life of prostitution.
The following week, Sunday, July 13, Fatu publicly gave her
confession in the crowded church. I am here to kneel down and ask
the whole world, every man I encountered, to forgive me, she tearfully
said, explaining that after her deliverance she began regretting her
actions for the frst time.
She went further to send an emotional message to her fellow sex-
workers. There is no beneft in prostitution. The end of prostitution is
bitterness and sorrow. I advise youth if you are in the same situation
I was in, let me be an example in your eyes. Drop that lifestyle
immediately and seek the face of God.
Many dont know their HIV/AIDS status
In a recent report, the United Nations organization that deals with
HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS reported that that 19 million of the 35 million
people living with HIV today do not know that they have the virus
The report stated that in sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 90% of people
who know their HIV-positive status are on treatmentending the
AIDS epidemic by 2030 will require smart scale-up to close the gap
Whether you live or die should not depend on access to an HIV
test, said Michel Sidib, Executive Director of UNAIDS. Smarter
scale-up is needed to close the gap between people who know their
HIV status and people who dont, people who can get services and
people who cant and people who are protected and people who are
punished.
The UNAIDS Gap report shows that as people fnd out their HIV-
positive status they will seek life-saving treatment. In sub-Saharan
Africa, almost 90% of people who tested positive for HIV went
on to access antiretroviral therapy (ART). Research shows that in
sub-Saharan Africa, 76% of people on ART have achieved viral
suppression, whereby they are unlikely to transmit the virus to their
sexual partners. New data analysis demonstrates that for every 10%
increase in treatment coverage there is a 1% decline in the percentage
of new infections among people living with HIV.
The report outlines that to close the gap between people who are
reached with HIV services and people who are not will require
research and innovation combined with protective laws that promote
freedom and equality for all people. It will also require increased
commitment from the global community and countries most affected
to the remarkable returns on investment that have been witnessed
over the last 10 years to continue so that the end of the AIDS epidemic
can be achieved by 2030.
Frontpage
Friday, July 18, 2014 Page 3
Seltue R Karweaye, karweayee@gmail.com, Contributing Writer
ALL IN THE FAMILY: AFRICAN PRESIDENTS
CHILDREN SUCCEESSION, IS LIBERIA NEXT?
FrontPage
Commentary
COMMENTARY
R
obert Sirleaf on Wednesday announced his
Montserrado county senatorial bid, breathing new life
into President Sirleaf succession plan. Robert Sirleaf
is the son of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, current President
of Liberia. Robert Sirleaf speedy ascent to the tophe only came
to Liberia when his mother became the President of Liberia
feed into the narrative that proximity to power through kingship
is a useful ingredient for the growing list of succession plans by
African leaders. He had served in top governmental positions,
including Senior Advisor to his President and Chairman of the
board of directors of the National Oil Company of Liberia. Sirleaf
also awarded her other sons governmental positions. Fumba
Sirleaf is head of the National Security Agency; and Charles is
deputy governor of the Central Bank.
However, Robert is highly qualifed, according to the report,
Robert is a fnancial expert, educated in the US and who has spent
an inordinate time abroad, adding to the little-noticed trend that
nearly all African leaders who are benefciaries of dynastic or
patronage politics have been educated abroad.
President Sirleaf, who is the darling of the West was educated
at Havard University. Kenyan president Uhuru Kenya, the son
of Kenyas found father Jomo Kenyetta, in March 2013 edge out
rival Raila Odinga in a closely-contest election. Kenyatta studied
political science at Amherst college in the United States before
returning to Kenya.
It is not only in monarchies that the Head of States children
succeeds to power; it is also, alas, not unknown in republics. It has
already happened in Sri Lanka, Azerbaijan, Syria. Togo, Gabon
the Democratic Republic of Congo. It sometimes happens that
elections are announced to decide the succession, but it is known
in advance who will emerge from them as the victor.
Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila, who
studied at National Defense University. He was as awarded the
rank of Major-General, and appointed Deputy Chief of Staff
of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo in
1998. He was later, in 2000, appointed Chief of Staff of the Land
Forces, a position he held until the elder Kabila's was assassinated
in January 2001. As chief of staff, he was one of the main military
leaders in charge of Government troops and when his father was
assassinated, he succeeded his father.
Gabon President, Ali Bongo Ondimba, the son of Omar Bongo,
who headed the country for 41 years, was educated in France
from the age of nine, where he graduated from Sorbonee with a
PhD in law. In preparing his son for the succession, Omar Bongo
appointed his Son, Ali to governmental positions, including
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Minister of State
for National Defense. Ali Bongo was elected to parliament in
2001 and 2006 respectively. He succeeded his father immediately
after his Dad die through a bogus election.
Another graduate of the famous Sorbonee in Paris was Faure
Essozimna Gnassingbe, current President of Togo. Of the many
children of former Togo President Gnassingbe Eyadema beat out
his other siblings to succeed his father in February 2005. Through
his fathers infuence, he was elected to the National Assembly
of Togo in the October 2002 parliamentary election. His father
amended the Constitution in December 2002, lowering the
minimum age for the President from 45 years to 35 years, which
was intended to beneft Gnassingb. In 2003, he was appointed as
Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications,
serving in that position until becoming President in February
2005. His appointment to the government in July 2003 came after
he had already been appearing with his father at offcial functions
and contributed to speculation that he was intended as his father's
successor.
Even those seen as being prepped for presidency seem to have
read the script of succession. Muhooozi Kaineraguba, the frst
born son of Uganda President Yoweri Museveni, is a graduate of
the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which trains all British
Army Offcer, before adding stints in the military colleges in
Egypt, the United States and South Africa. He is the Commander
of the Special Forces Group, responsible for providing security to
the President of Uganda and has been heavily linked to succeed
his father who has been in power since 1986.
Fiddled with the Constitution for succession
Speculation has remained rife in Burkina Faso that Francois
Compaore, the younger Brother of Blaise Compaore is being
groomed to take over next year, should the veteran failed to amend
the two-term constitution limit. The younger Compaore studied
economic in Ivory Coast and the United States and has been the
presidents powerful economic advisor since 1989.
Ex-Senegal president Abdoulaye Wades positioning of his son
Karim as successor contributed to his ouster in 2012 elections,
following a failed bid by the Senior to fddle the Constitution.
Karim, referred to caustically as Minister of Heaven and Earth
for holding several ministerial positions under his father (at one
point he reportedly controlled nearly half of the state budget. He
graduated from the University of Paris with a masters degree.
Ex-Egyptian Leader Hosni Mubarak was widely seen as preparing
his younger son, Gamal to succeed him before the 2011 revolution.
Gamal studied at the American University in Cairo, which offers
an American-style curriculum ad which has been the stop for
many of Egypts and the Arab Worlds foremost intellectuals and
leaders.
Saif al-Islam Gaddaf was mentioned strongly as possible
successor to his father, Muammar Gaddaff and was said to be the
de factor primer minister. He earned his PhD from the London
School of Economics
By promoting the political and business interests of their families,
most African presidents can complicate their own successions.
Handing power from father to son has not been accepted by the
population, while the president is living, but has happened when a
sitting president dies in offce, as in Togo,Gabon and Democratic
Republic of Congo as stated above.
But the stakes are deadly serious for the would-be dynasties. In
Equatorial Guinea, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo's
grip on power ensures the dominance of his children and relatives
in the political, military and business elite in Malabo. His son
Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue ('Teodorn') is vice-president
for defense and security; Gabriel Mbega Obiang Lima, a son from
another mother, is oil minister; and his brother-in-law Candido
Nsue Okomo runs the state- owned oil company GEPetrol.
President Obiang gave Teodorn a more powerful post and a
claimed diplomatic immunity in a reshuffe in May 2012 as France
and the US were pursuing charges against the president's son for
money laundering.
Although it's clear that most of the veteran presidents in Sub-
Sharan Africa are contemplating political successions are
scheming to prolong their grip on power by installing their children
or relative. It is equally clear they will face a better organized and
equipped opposition well able to exploit information technology
and social media. Not only is popular resistance growing to the
tired formula of dynastic politics still being planned in states
such as Equatorial Guinea, Uganda and Liberia, but people resent
the chaos and repression that go along with such systems. Up to
now, it has been the cause for popular lamentation that power
has almost always been in the hands of profteers and were not
concerned with serving the national interest; their concern was
rather by taking up their privileged positions. Not only in Liberia,
not only in Africa in general, but throughout the world too, this
state of affairs must come to an end.
The political turmoil left in the wake of Ben Ali's, Muammar
Gaddaff, and Mubarak's dynastic ambitions could provide a stark
reality check for Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Yoweri
Museveni and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. We are watching.
The writer holds an MS in Development Studies & MS in Politics
and International studies with specialization in Peace and
Confict Studies from Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden
and can be reached at Seltue.Karweaye.4687@student.uu.se or
karweayee@gmail.com
v
EDITORIAL
ON WEDNESDAY AT the Cholera Unit of the John F.
Kennedy Medical Center man was rushed to the facility after
being rejected at the main entrance of the John F. Kennedy
Hospital because he was showing signs of the deadly Ebola
virus but was abandoned at the gate of the unit where many
health workers and officials of the ministry of health watched
him vomit with blood without doing anything to help him for
more than 30 minutes.
THE MAN WAS rushed in by his brother who claimed
that his relative has been vomiting with blood and showing
consistent signs of weakness at their West Point residence.
THE SICK MAN was seen vomiting with blood and as soon
as they got to the facility his brother tried calling for help
from the health officials but they only stood there, hands
folded, watching the man die.
THE ARRIVAL OF the suspected patient quickly drew the
attention of some residents of the 24th street community
where the JFK Cholera Unit is situated as many rushed to
the scene just to take a glimpse at the patient who was lying
squarely before the entrance of the unit vomiting with blood
while awaiting health workers to attend to him.
THIS ACTION ON the part of health workers on duty at
the time of the mans arrival is broad day wickedness and
it exposes how health officials in Liberia continue to loathe
people affected by the deadly virus leaving them to the fate
of death including health workers themselves.
TO KNOW THAT upon arrival at the Cholera unit on 24th
Street, Sinkor, in the full presence of some medical doctors
and Health Ministry authorities including Assistant Minister
for Preventive Services Tolbert Nyenswah, the man was left
lying in pain for over 30 minutes is disheartening.
IS THIS HOW WE TREAT people who are sick with deadly
diseases in our society with people trusted to manage our
health sector just standing by with their hands folded and
instead the patient and his brother asked by heath workers
assigned at the unit to follow what they termed as normal
procedure in the Ebola response system? What kind of Ebola
Response Unit do we have that will leave a patient in pain
to die simply because of not following proper procedures?
THE MAN PERHAPS was being punished for failing to
contact what they call the Ebola hotline for an ambulance
to pick up his sick brother from their West Point residence.
IT IS WRONG THAT for nearly thirty minutes, the suspected
Ebola patient was seen lying abandoned by heath workers
while he continued to vomit with blood at the entrance of the
JFK Cholera unit.
IT WAS AFTER SEVERAL consultations among members
of the Ebola response team posted at the center, that two
health workers later arrived from the fence of the Cholera
unit to attend to the patient who was then sprayed with
disinfectant before being taken inside for attention.
DR. MOSES MASSAQUOI justified why the health workers
did not instantly attend to the patient when he was brought
in.
MASSAQUOIS JUSTIFICATION WAS that the patient
should have called the Ebola response unit through the
hotlines for an ambulance to transport them to the hospital.
SAID DR. MASSAQUOI: We dont just treat patients. We
go through investigation. You might have seen me closing
the door. It did not mean we are not running through the
system.
AS SOON AS WE ran through the system and we got the
information, we took him in even though he was not brought
in the right way. So we did not refuse him thats why hes
now considered a case.
THIS IS A SHAME and it shows that health authorities in
Liberia really do not know what they are doing hence the
rapid spread of the deadly disease. This indeed is a shame!!!
ITS A SHAME
Liberian Health Authorities gambling
with Peoples Lives
Page 4 |
Frontpage
LIBERIA MAY BE HEADING FOR ITS
WORST CRISIS EVER
FrontPage
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E
DITORIAL TEAM
WHAT READERS ARE SAYING
ABOUT OUR STORIES ON THE
WORLDWIDE WEB
The Reader's Page
SYLVESTER MOSES TOP COMMENTER
The Liberian people paid the price for their poor judgment
in electing a do - nothing Legislature, so nobody should be
surprised that they want new leadership. Politics is a quid pro quo
relationship: constituents in a democracy vote for someone in order
to receive through his/her representation the developmental aid and
other assistances their areas need from the government.
It is a transactional affair; you elect someone, and expect that
person to get things done for the community. And frankly Robert
Sirleaf has demonstrated that he has the empathy and compassion
to get things done for the communities in the county. He wasnt
compelled to get involved in the various projects he initiated and
completed in various neighborhoods.
If the enthusiastic crowds he is drawing anything to go by, the race
for Monsterrado County between him and Ambassador George
Weah would be a tug - of - war. And thats great for the county,
our people deserve to have caring, capable and credible legislators,
and we believe either of those two gentlemen would perform a
wonderful job; the people will decide with their votes.
CHARLES SAYWON TOP COMMENTER WEST
AFRICA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
What are we thinking when we try to petition people for public
service. Have we done our home work properly before coming up
with such a crirical decision that will either spoil or be good for our
nation. Or, are we carried away by just receiving little things from
their pockets as bits to blind oue eyes. My fellow Liberians, let
us think twice before taking such decision. If we want to petition
someone for any public offce, we should take a clear look at
other countries' examples. For example, Ngeria, if a man should
be petitioned for any public offce, that person must have done
something very rewarding for the people in general not just a few
handfull and you turned that as development for that locality. What
is football pitch for which you are selling your own birthright.
Can't you think through the Holy Book, the Bible, what happened
between Esau and Jacob. I don't need to go far you know the rest of
the story. Please, let all of us as Liberians put Liberia frst and not
just a little thing that will go away sooner or latter. May the Lord
Jesus saves our nation from the hands of the wicked ones!!
PLEEBOCOLLINS25 (SIGNED IN USING YAHOO)
Liberians are so desperate for leadership and for simple basic needs
that they will turn to their oppressors for help. Liberians are a
laughable people and hypocritical too. This Robert must be having
delusions of grandeur and think that we want him. Lliberians just
want to eat and if he will buy them food , they will vote for him.
Don't confuse that with love or confdence in Robert Sirleaf.
OBEDIAH WEAHWEAH CUTTINGTON GRADUATE
SCHOOL
This is democracy, we need to respect everyone opinions and
decisions. I think our constitution give the right to everyone
who meet the requirement to via for any public offce. I support
Mr.Sirleaf senatorial bid!
ROB SIRLEAFS COMPLEX QUEST TO BECOME MONT.
COUNTY SENATOR
PHIL GEORGE TOP COMMENTER UMASS LOWELL
This story is very intriguing. Robert Sirleaf is not the UP candidate
but he may run as a independent candidate? Wouldn't this weaken
his mother's party (UP) chance of taking the seat? This brings
to mind some interesting questions. If he wanted to run for the
seat, why didn't he compete in the UP primary and become its
candidate? Did the party think that he stands a poor chance of
winning the seat in the general election, so they decided to go with
another candidate? Anyways my thought is that because President
Sirleaf is very unpopular in the country right now for political and
economic reasons, a UP candidate stands a very poor chance of
wining the seat no matter who it is. Also if Robert Sirleaf runs he
will loose because the entire Sirleaf family is unpopular on account
of President Sirleaf's dismal leadership.
MAXWELL HOOKS STRAYER COLLEGE
Are these guys "nuts", petitioning Robert Sirleaf for a senatorial
bid irrespective of his mother's inability to govern with glaring
evidence of poverty in every quarter of Liberia? When will
Liberians learn to face reality and stop this hunger-driven politics...
look a man in the face and say, NO, IT's Enough? You sit in your
little corners and quarrel, grumble about ills, corruption, Ellen
failure to improve your lives, Robert Sirleaf extortion of NOCAL's
millions yet you petition the man to be your senator. Will he make
any difference than his mother? WOW Liberians!! I thought we
were, by now have been politically reawaken....hehehehehehe!!!!
The Editor,
I
may be wrong and stand to be corrected, but I have never heard
of a country in Africa or any other continent where a group of
indigenous lawmakers will come out to organize a political party
with the desire to feld an indigenous presidential candidate in an
election. Only in Liberia can anything happen! If these lawmakers are
separating from parties that elected them in order to feld a candidate,
most likely Indigenous Speaker Alex Tyler, we may be heading for
the worst political and economic crisis ever in Liberia.
Fellow Liberians, we have consistently accused President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf of uncontrollable corruption in her government. But,
with Alex Tylers government in power, we will be compelled to
praise EJS for her leadership by comparison. Notwithstanding, we
can see the greed for more power and more money by these crooked
lawmakers who are playing a major role in corrupting the entire
country.
I thought the indigenous lawmakers would remember where they
came from to fght poverty and corruption. But they are worse than
the so-called Congo man who marginalized the indigenous people
until 1980 when a man with an indigenous background, Samuel K.
Doe, brutally took power outside of the constitution. The indigenous
people bitterly argued that the constitution was more a symbol of
democracy than a guide for action. This argument provided their
justifcation for removing the so-called Congo people out of power
and opening the door for abuse of power and rampant corruption. The
abuse of power and corruption have become the foundation on which
this indigenous government is functioning. Our lawmakers continue
to advance their dirty political agenda on the bare backs of a suffering
people whom they claim to represent.
Speaker Tyler of the House of Representatives and Pro-Temp
Gbezongar Findley offciated the fxing of their and other honorable
members gigantic salaries, allowances and other corrupt benefts,
signing of bogus concession agreements overnight. Now these morally
bankrupt legislators are pointing fngers at the president for not
fghting corruption. This is why addressing the problem of corruption
strategically and comprehensively is of paramount importance as a
development priority for Liberia. What is most appalling nowadays
are the defensive mechanisms employed by these legislators to grab
$73 million in the name of district development when they are actually
demanding campaign money to promote their greed for power. They
should be ashamed of themselves with little to no program of actions
and no commitment to ideologies and vision for the country. While
I strongly agreed with Indigenous Senator Henry Yallah that this
government is corrupt, in truth, these indigenous members of the
legislature are the embodiment of corruption. They have no moral
authority to accuse this government of failing the downtrodden
masses when they are sitting comfortably and impeding Liberias
growth and development. They have compromised principle over
self-interest by accepting cold water (bribes) to place incompetent
executive appointees in government. Heres one example: Robert
Kilby, who was nominated by EJS to take over an integrity institution,
presented fake credentials and lied during his confrmation hearing
before the Senate Committee and was rejected.
They did the same thing in the case of Madam Angelique Weeks,
changing their decision overnight after accepting cold water. They
knowingly confrmed a fake credential holder, Kilby, to become the
most corrupt Auditor General in the history of Liberia, succeeding
John Morlu, who stood alone as an anti-corruption crusader to fght
and expose unethical government offcials without fear or favor.
Unfortunately for the downtrodden masses, his involuntary departure
was a great relief for those who entered government to steal all they
can steal. Because of the unscrupulous behavior of these rags-to-
wealthy lawmakers, it is no surprise that they have lost the respect
of the Liberian people and the dignity of the offce they hold. What
a shame! Our lawmakers gave the Minister of Health, Dr. Walter
Gwenigale, 72 hours to reinstate the two ring leaders of the health
workers after the workers strike came to an end, and he deliberately
refused to honor the lawmakers ultimatum. The lawmakers did not
earn respect from General Mary Broh, serving as acting mayor for
Monrovia. We all may have differences with her leadership style,
but wherever she went, Ms. Broh was productive and demonstrated
competency in the performance of her duty, far better than the so-
called lawmakers. Nevertheless, her work ethic did not sit well with
the lawmakers, who refused to confrm her as Monrovias mayor.
These reprobate lawmakers are now masquerading as Gabriel the
Archangel to bring hope to the hopeless by organizing a political
party referred to as the Peoples Unifcation Party (PUP) to elect an
indigenous president who will emancipate our country from offcial
acts of thievery and despicable public service." This statement was
shamelessly uttered by Senator Yallah of Bong County, who is now
chairman for PUP. What a miscarriage of judgment on the part of
this indigenous senator, who is grabbing all he can in a government
infested with indigenous crooks. Since many Liberians died to
achieve a multiparty system, political parties have been surfacing
with poor, indigenous representatives who we believe understand
the condition of the poverty-stricken indigenous people they elected
to represent. Unfortunately, the condition of the indigenous people
continues to worsen. It is a reality today in Liberia that indigenous
and inexperienced political leaders turn out to be corrupt to the
core. Liberians believed that the multi-party system would allow
them to elect honest people to represent their interests. Since 1985,
Liberia has had many heads of state, with virtually different teams of
indigenous political leaders, but each administration has been marred
by uncontrollable corruption, abuse of public offce and offcial
incompetence. Our political leaders have repeatedly failed to improve
the conditions of the people, but they take interest in accumulating
wealth at the detriment of the citizens they elected to represent. You
see them in the most expensive cars with tinted windows, building
gigantic mansions in Monrovia and taking foreign pleasure trips.
In conclusion, it is important to warn that peace and constitutional
democracy in Liberia are both under threat given the increasingly
poor, shallow and arbitrary manner the government has been handling
issues of governance, politics, economy, education, security, rights
of law-abiding citizens and health care. Liberians are tired of
disconnected and disorganized policies and incoherent actions. We
must play the politics of ideas and issues, the politics of the welfare
and well-being of our people, and not the politics of corruption and
bribery, deceit and breach of trust, impunity and intolerance. The
development of our states economy, education and politics and the
enhancement of our peoples welfare and well-being are constitutional
rights and not privileges. Our elected offcials who cannot guarantee
these rights have no moral right to remain in offce, and we have the
constitutional power to vote them out of power. It is evident that our
elected representatives have failed to guarantee these rights, and in
fact, have proven incapable of guaranteeing them. The government
of Liberia cannot run a non-performing and utterly inept government
and expect patriotic citizens to act as cheerleaders. I will not relent in
honestly discussing the evils carried out by those in authority. And to
those who are happy with how this government is functioning, may
God run your lives exactly the way Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the
lawmakers have been running Liberia for nine consecutive years.
Charles B. Russell,
wenyou28@yahoo.com
Philadelphia
I'VE TO THINK: ROB SIRLEAF SENATE
BID DECISION IN GODS HANDS
Frontpage
Monrovia-
L
iberia airline
industry has been
hardly hit in
recent time with
the departure of two world
class and leading airlines.
First Air France pulled out of
the country citing low profts
and Delta Airline is also at
the verge of departing after
confrming that it is pulling
out of the country.
Until the pronouncement of
its departure, Delta Airline an
American owned air transport
provider operations in Liberia
has been a major boost to
travelers, mainly its direct
fight from Monrovia to the
United States of America.
Before Deltas
commencement of direct
fights to and from Monrovia,
Liberians travelling to
the United States had to
go through the burden of
connecting fights and staying
longer period on travels.
The arrival of Delta when
the airline made its frst
landing on Liberian soil on
Sunday September 5, 2010
was greeted with great relief
by travelers who no longer
had to transit or connect
fights before reaching fnal
destination.
Liberian government
offcials and other citizens
and foreigner who travel in
good numbers regularly to
the United States also greeted
Deltas arrival with happiness
but in early July, Delta
announced that it was pulling
out of Liberia, citing weak
passengers demand amid
other reports that fear of the
deadly outbreak and political
reasons could also impact the
decision.
In response to FPA inquiry
about the departure of the
airline recently, Delta stated
Due to weak passenger
demand, Delta confrms
that effective this fall it will
suspend its service between
Monrovia to New York-JFK
via Accra, Ghana. The last
eastbound service from New
York will be on August 30,
2014 and the last westbound
service will depart Monrovia
on August 31, 2014. Delta is
working to re-accommodate
passengers impacted by this
decision. Delta is grateful
to the Liberian Government
for its support since Delta
began service in 2010. Delta
continues to operate daily
nonstop service between
Accra, Ghana and New York-
JFK.
Who flls deltas void?
With Delta now set to leave
the country, lingering on the
minds of many Liberians and
other travellers alike is how
the county is going to cope
with the departure of the
airline.
On the heels of Deltas
Departure, Liberia has seen
the emergence of other
airlines including Gambia
Bird and the traditional
Kenya Airways which has
maintained Liberia as a
constant destination for its
fights for several years.
According to some Liberians
who have travelled with
the newcomer Gambia Bird
including market women
who commute between
Monrovia-Accra and other
African countries, the airline
commonly call G-Bird has
new feet and has come at the
right time on the west coast.
One passenger who few
with G- Bird recently said
the crew onboard the airline
are mainly Germans - pilots
well experienced and services
available on the fight are
super including, food, etc.
There will be no difference
as G-Bird makes six fights
per week to Liberia. It
has become a source of
convenience for us market
women between Robertsfeld
and Accra and other places,
said one Market woman.
Accordingly, Gambia Bird
connects passengers to dozen
of West African capitals
offering affordable prices
thereby making it convenient
for market women and other
travelers.
Founded by the German
carrier Germania in
October 2012 Gambia Bird
operates fights from Banjul
International Airport to
African ECOWAS cities
with an Airbus A319 feet. In
addition, the airline operates
from Banjul and Freetown to
London and Barcelona.
The carrier started operations
on 22 October 2012 with
an Airbus A319 leased
from Germania that few
the BanjulDakar sector
Accra, Conakry, Freetown
and Monrovia were added
to the route network shortly
afterwards; on 24 October
2012, Gambia Bird operated
its frst service to London
Gatwick. Flights to Barcelona
were introduced on 28
October. A second A319
joined the feet in November
2012.
Traditional KQ still around
Besides Gambia Bird, Kenya
Airways (KQ) a member of
the Sky Team is a long time
airline known for fying
across Africa with good
history of providing services
to several African countries
and is noted for providing
essentially reliable and
superb in-fight services amid
the food quality.
From Airport data, KQ
makes three weekly fghts
to Robertsfeld with newly
acquired feet of aircraft and
offers several links to Asia,
Europe and Latin America.
Kenya Airways has over
the years been known for
providing services on board
the aircraft that are world-
class in style and matches
those of Air Emirates and
other international airlines.
It is widely considered as one
FILLING DELTA VOID
How can Liberia cope with American airline Departure?
F
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BUSINESS
of the leading Sub-Saharan
operators; as of January
2013, the carrier was ranked
fourth among the top ten
ones that operate in Africa by
seat capacity, behind South
African Airways, Ethiopian
Airlines and Egypt Air. The
airline became a full member
of SkyTeam in June 2010,
and is also a member of the
African Airlines Association
since 1977.
Also British Airways,
arguably a formidable force
that has an impeccable safety
track-record and can get
passengers to North America
the same day Airbus 777
is still operating fights to
Liberia.
With Delta parking off,
Liberians are likely to stick
to the likes of Brussels, G.
Birad, KQ and others that
have particularly been here
for many years connecting
travelers to various
destinations across the globe.
Other airlines including
Royal Air Moroc, and Asky
Airlines continue to provide
up to the minute valuable
service to Liberia and in the
absence of Delta, Liberians
could still be better off
on Gambia Bird, Kenya
Airways, British Airway than
ever amid improvement in
fight services"
Page 6 |
Frontpage
F
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HEALTH
GENEVA, 16 July 2014
A
new report by UNAIDS
shows that 19 million
of the 35 million people
living with HIV globally
do not know their HIV-positive
status.
Whether you live or die should
not depend on access to an HIV
test, said Michel Sidib, Executive
Director of UNAIDS. Smarter
scale-up is needed to close the gap
between people who know their HIV
status and people who dont, people
who can get services and people who
cant and people who are protected
and people who are punished.
The UNAIDS Gap report shows
that as people fnd out their HIV-
positive status they will seek life-
saving treatment. In sub-Saharan
Africa, almost 90% of people who
tested positive for HIV went on to
access antiretroviral therapy (ART).
Research shows that in sub-Saharan
Africa, 76% of people on ART have
achieved viral suppression, whereby
they are unlikely to transmit the
virus to their sexual partners. New
data analysis demonstrates that for
every 10% increase in treatment
coverage there is a 1% decline in the
percentage of new infections among
people living with HIV.
The report highlights that efforts to
increase access to ART are working.
In 2013, an additional 2.3 million
people gained access to the life-
saving medicines. This brings the
global number of people accessing
ART to nearly 13 million by the
end of 2013. Based on past scale-
up, UNAIDS projects that as of July
2014 as many as 13 950 296 people
were accessing ART.
If we accelerate all HIV scale-
up by 2020, we will be on track to
end the epidemic by 2030, said Mr
Sidib. If not, we risk signifcantly
increasing the time it would take
adding a decade, if not more.
By ending the epidemic by 2030,
the world would avert 18 million
new HIV infections and 11.2 million
AIDS-related deaths between 2013
and 2030.
Ending the AIDS epidemic
The report reveals that just 15
countries* account for more than
75% of the 2.1 million new HIV
infections that occurred in 2013. In
every region of the world the report
fnds that there are three or four
countries that bear the burden of the
epidemic. In sub-Saharan Africa,
just three countriesNigeria, South
Africa and Ugandaaccount for
48% of all new HIV infections.
However, the report also shows
that entire countries are being
left behindfor example, six
nationsCentral African Republic,
Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russian
Federation and South Sudanare
facing the triple threat of high HIV
burden, low treatment coverage
and no or little decline in new HIV
infections.
In the frst report of its kind, the
UNAIDS Gap report emphasizes
the importance of location and
population through an in-depth
regional analysis of HIV epidemics
and through analysis of 12
populations at higher risk of HIV. It
analyses the reasons for the widening
gap between people gaining access
to HIV prevention, treatment, care
and support, and people being left
behind. It shows how focusing on
populations that are underserved and
at higher risk of HIV will be key to
ending the AIDS epidemic.
HIV prevalence is estimated to be
28 times higher among people who
inject drugs, 12 times higher among
sex workers, 19 times higher among
gay men and other men who have
sex with men and up to 49 times
higher among transgender women
than among the rest of the adult
population. In sub-Saharan Africa,
adolescent girls and young women
account for one in four new HIV
infections. The report looks at why
certain populations are not accessing
HIV services and outlines the urgent
need to address their specifc needs.
There will be no ending AIDS
without putting people frst, without

ensuring that people living with and
affected by the epidemic are part of
a new movement, said Mr Sidib.
Without a people-centred approach,
we will not go far in the post-2015
era.
The report shows that it is both
essential and possible to go deeper
than a country-wide approach.
Because countries and regions have
multiple and varying epidemics,
the report outlines that having
country targets and sound policies
in place creates space to address
complex micro-epidemics with
tailored, bite-sized solutions that
will help reach people faster with
better HIV services. It notes that
cities and communities will play an
increasingly major role in effective
scale-up.
However, the report also shows that a
lack of data on people most affected
by HIV, coupled with widespread
stigma and discrimination, punitive
legal environments, barriers to
civil society engagement and
lack of investment in tailored
programmes are holding back
results. It confrms that countries that
ignore discrimination and condone
inequalities will not reach their full
potential, and face serious public
health and fnancial consequences of
inaction. The report emphasizes the
need for equal access to quality HIV
services as both a human rights and
public health imperative.
Hope and gaps
UNAIDS is reporting the lowest
levels of new HIV infections
this century, at 2.1 million [1.9
million2.4 million]. In the last three
years alone new HIV infections have
fallen by 13%.
It is estimated that 35 million people
were living with HIV in the world at
the end of 2013. AIDS-related deaths
are at their lowest since the peak
in 2005, having declined by 35%.
Tuberculosis continues to be the
leading cause of death among people
living with HIV.
New HIV infections among children
have fallen by 58% since 2001 and
dropped below 200 000 for the frst
time in the 21 most affected countries
in Africa.
The highest number of people
living with HIV was in sub-
Saharan Africa24.7 million [23.5
million26.1 million] people. Asia
and the Pacifc had the next largest
population of people living with
HIV, at an estimated 4.8 million [4.1
million5.5 million] people.
The percentage of people living with
HIV who were receiving treatment
was found to be highest in western
Europe and North America, at 51%
[3960%], and in Latin America, at
45% [3351%]. However, coverage
was lowest in the Middle East and
North Africa, at just 11% [816%].
New HIV infections declined most in
the Caribbeanby 40% since 2005;
however, new HIV infections have
risen by 8% in western Europe and
North America, by 7% in the Middle
East and North Africa and by 5% in
eastern Europe and central Asia since
2005.
AIDS-related deaths were seen to be
rising steeply in the Middle East and
North Africa, by 66%. The only other
region where AIDS-related deaths
are increasing is eastern Europe and
central Asia, where AIDS-related
deaths rose by 5% between 2005 and
2013.
The report outlines that to close the
gap between people who are reached
with HIV services and people who
are not will require research and
innovation combined with protective
laws that promote freedom and
equality for all people. It will also
require increased commitment from
the global community and countries
most affected to the remarkable
returns on investment that have been
witnessed over the last 10 years to
continue so that the end of the AIDS
epidemic can be achieved by 2030.
GLOBAL STATISTICS
People living with HIV
In 2013, there were 35
million [33.2 million37.2 million]
people living with HIV.
- Since the start of the epidemic
around 78 million [71 million87
million] have become infected with
HIV and 39 million [35 million43
million] people have died of AIDS-
related illnesses.
New HIV infections
New HIV infections have
fallen by 38% since 2001.
- Worldwide, 2.1 million
[1.9 million2.4 million] people
became newly infected with HIV in
2013, down from 3.4 million [3.3
million3.6 million] in 2001.
New HIV infections
among children have declined by
58% since 2001.
- Worldwide, 240 000 [210 000
280 000] children became newly
infected with HIV in 2013, down
from 580 000 [530 000640 000] in
2001.
AIDS-related deaths
AIDS-related deaths have
fallen by 35% since the peak in 2005.
- In 2013, 1.5 million [1.4
million1.7 million] people died
from AIDS-related causes worldwide
compared to 2.4 million [2.2
million2.6 million] in 2005.
Antiretroviral therapy
In 2013, around 12.9
million people living with HIV had
access to antiretroviral therapy.
- This represents 37% [35%-39%]
of all people living with HIV.
- 38% [36%-40%] of all adults
living with HIV are receiving
treatment however just 24% [22%-
26%] of all children living with
HIV are receiving the lifesaving
medicines.
HIV/TB
TB-related deaths in
people living with HIV have fallen
by 36% since 2004.
- TB remains the leading cause
of death among people living with
HIV, with an estimated 320 000 [300
000340 000] deaths in 2012.
- In 2013, the percentage of
identifed HIV positive tuberculosis
patients who were started or
continued on antiretroviral treatment
reached 70% (up from 57% in 2012).
Investments
US$ 19.1 billion was
available from all sources for the
AIDS response in 2013.
- The estimated annual need by
2015 is currently between US$ 22
24 billion.
In 2013, domestic
investments from low- and middle-
income countries accounted for
around half of all HIV related
spending.
REGIONAL STATISTICS
Sub-Saharan Africa
In 2013, there were 24.7
million [23.5 million 26.1 million]
people living with HIV in sub-
Saharan Africa.
- Women account for 58% of the
total number of people living with
HIV in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2013, there were an
estimated 1.5 million [1.3 million
1.6 million] new HIV infections in
sub-Saharan Africa.
- New HIV infections declined by
33% from 2005 and 2013.
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for
almost 70% of the global total of new
HIV infections.
In sub-Saharan Africa,
1.1 million [1.0 million 1.3 million]
people died of AIDS-related causes
in 2013.
- Between 2005 and 2013 the
number of AIDS-related deaths in
sub-Saharan Africa fell by 39%.
Treatment coverage is
37% of all people living with HIV in
sub-Saharan Africa.
- 67% of men and 57% of women
were not receiving ART in sub-
Saharan Africa in 2013.
- Three out of four people on ART
live in sub Saharan Africa.
- In Nigeria 80% of people do not
have access to treatment.
There were 210 000 [180
000 250 000] new HIV infections
among children in sub-Saharan
Africa in 2013.
- Since 2009, there has been a 43%
decline in new HIV infections among
children in the 21 priority countries
of the Global Plan in Africa.
Asia and the Pacifc
people living with HIV in Asia and
the Pacifc.
estimated 350 000 [250 000 510
000] new HIV infections in the
region.
6% from 2005 and 2013
- Indonesia is cause for concern
new HIV infections have risen by
48% since 2005
In Asia and the Pacifc,
250 000 [210 000 290 000] people
died of AIDS-related causes in 2013.
number of AIDS-related deaths in the
region fell by 27%.
- India accounts for 51% of all
AIDS-related deaths in the region.
33% [28 38] of all people living
with HIV in Asia and the Pacifc.
An estimated 2.4 million
of adults men and 1.4 million of
adults women were not receiving
ART in Asia and the Pacifc in 2013.
- In only two countries in Asia
and the Pacifc, Thailand and
Cambodia, have more than 50% of
all people living with HIV currently
on antiretroviral treatment.
There were 22 000 [18
000 32 000] new HIV infections
among children in Asia and the
Pacifc in 2013.
- Since 2009, there has been a
15% decline in new HIV infections
among children in the region.
Latin America
people living with HIV in Latin
America.
estimated 94 000 [71 000 170 000]
new HIV infections in the region.
3% from 2005 and 2013
In Latin America, 47 000
[39 000 75 000] people died of
AIDS-related causes in 2013.
region fell by 31%
45% [33 51] of all people living
UNAIDS REPORT SHOWS THAT 19 MILLION OF THE 35 MILLION PEOPLE
LIVING WITH HIV TODAY DO NOT KNOW THAT THEY HAVE THE VIRUS
with HIV in Latin America.
There were 1800 [<1000
7400] new HIV infections among
children in Latin America in 2013.
Western and Central Europe and
North America
people living with HIV in Western
and Central Europe and North
America.
- The United States accounts for
56% of people living with HIV in
this part of the world.
estimated 88 000 [44 000 160 000]
- New HIV infections rose by 8%
from 2005 and 2013
In Western and Central
Europe and North America, 27 000
[23 000 34 000] people died of
region fell by 2%.
51% [39-60] of all people living with
HIV.
There were <500 [<200
<500] new HIV infections among
children in Western and Central
Europe and North America in 2013.
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
million [980 000 1.3 million]
people living with HIV in Eastern
Europe and Central Asia.
estimated 110 000 [86 000 130
000] new HIV infections in the
region.
from 2005 and 2013
In Eastern Europe and
Central Asia, 53 000 [43 000 69
000] people died of AIDS-related
causes in 2013.
region rose by 5%
21% [18-24] of all people living with
HIV in Eastern Europe and Central
Asia.
There were <1000
[<1000 1200] new HIV infections
among children in Eastern Europe
and Central Asia in 2013.
Caribbean
000 [230 000 280 000] people
living with HIV in the Caribbean.
estimated 12 000 [9400 14 000]
40% from 2005 and 2013.
In the Caribbean, 11
000 [8300 14 000] people died of
region fell by half.
- Haiti accounted for 59% of all
AIDS related deaths in the region in
2013.
42% of people 15 years or older
living with HIV in Caribbean an
increase of 31% since 2011.
There were <1000 [<500
<1000] new HIV infections among
children in Caribbean in 2013.
Middle East and North Africa
000 [160 000 330 000] people
living with HIV in the the Middle
East and North Africa.
estimated 25 000 [14 000 41 000]
from 2005 and 2013
In the Middle East and
North Africa, 15 000 [10 000 21
000] people died of AIDS-related
causes in 2013.
region rose by 66%.
11% [8 16] of people living with
HIV in the Middle East and North
Africa
There were 2300 [1500
3400] new HIV infections among
children in the Middle East and
North Africa in 2013.
Frontpage
Mae Azango mae.azango@frontpageafricaonline.com
F
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NEWS EXTRA
F
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NEWS EXTRA
AND THE WAR GOES ON
In Liberia, One AIDS Victim fghting through a traumatic war that has left her
pains and sad memories that is hard to forget but rather live with.
Monrovia -
A
s Liberia emerges
out of fourteen
years of civil
confict, many
people still have to live with
their own wars, ranging from
trauma to sexual gender based
violence and from personal
wars to family wars. While
others are internal and external
conficts to land disputes, etc.
But Sue Francis, not her real
name, has to fght her own
traumatic war that has left her
pains and sad memories that
is hard to forget but rather live
with.
He was the frst because he
was the general, and in the
presence of my father, that
young man used me that I
cannot even face my father
again. When he got through
with me, the second man got
there and when he got through,
the third man got there. And
when the forth man came, he
looked at me and said and I
quote; I cannot enter here
because the place is already
messed up, Cried sue.
The fourth man used that
iron AK- 47 gun in me, while
they held my fathers head
up and said he should look at
what they were doing to me.
I can still remember the gun
name because he held it up
and called it AK 47 and said he
was doing it because he wanted
me to remember what the gun
AK-47 did, and tell the story
tomorrow.
According to an UNMIL study
from the Offce of the Gender
Advisor in 2007, almost 50
percent of rape victims that
year were children under 18,
and child rape is reported more
frequently than womens rape.
The Ministry of Gender along
with the United Nations have
done numerous studies on
statistics for rape in Liberia,
but the data is not precise as it
is generally underreported, and
the mistreatment of women is
the social norm.
Like many other women who
suffered at the hands of rebel,
Sue who now has to live with
HIV/AIDS from the rape. As
she narrated her painful ordeal
with tears rolling down her
both checks, she said she lived
Gardnersville, chicken soup
factory with her father and
younger brother when the April
6, 1996 war brook out, and they
got so afraid and decided to go
back to Bomi County where
she was born.
When they walked as far as
Clay when the rebel decided
to check in her fathers bag, at
which time, her father was then
tribal governor. And while they
were searching through his
bag, they saw his ID card and
the other fghter who was a bit
lettered said to her father;
You people are the ones
eating the Countrys money,
and when my father said no,
because being a tribal governor
did not mean he was eating the
Countrys money, but he was
just there to serve his people.
And he said to my father since
you are there for your people,
you will be there for your
daughter. Because everything
we are going to do to your
daughter, you are going to
watch it, narrated Sue.
They took my father and sat
him down and made my little
brother lie on his stomach and
the general took his knife and
give it to his bodyguard, and
told me to take off my clothes
and when I said no I was not
taking off my clothes because
I did not know them, he passed
the knife through my blouse
and tore it off me and tore my
trousers into skirt.
She further explained that
when they got through with
her, her father carried her on
his back because she could not
walk. But two months after
they got to Bomi, she found out
that she was pregnant.
After two months, I started
feeling strange and when I
told my aunt that I think I was
pregnant, she said God for Bid.
She used herbs and aborted the
pregnancy because I still could
not walk. When you do not
plan for men to sleep with you
and it happens, you can feel
bad. I felt so bad, nasty and
dirty about myself.
Sue disclosed that since the
incident, her father still lives
with the trauma, likewise
herself because: Can you
imagine you have a daughter
and men are using her in front
of you, what you would do? So
up to today, my father cannot
get out of that trauma I felt bad
on that day and if I had my
own power, I was going to kill
them.
Sue who was then 22 when she
was raped, has two children a
boy and a girl, and said since
her father and brother knows
the story, she wont tell her
children until they are of age.
My daughter already knows
that I am HIV/AIDS positive
and she will know the root
cause one day. So I am waiting
until she is 16 or 17 to tell her
everything, and maybe in the
future, if she decides to tell her
brother, she can.
She said the general who raped
her, died during the 2003 war
in Vai Town, across the Bridge,
but she had not seen the other
three since the incident. And
what the men did to her was
wickedness because many of
the rebels were on drugs, like
for general.
Sue believes that the only thing
she thinks can stop men from
rape is whenever a man is
caught in the act, they should
be killed, and then other men
would stop doing it.
But once you put them in jail,
their lawyers would speak for
them to be free. So when you
have killed four or fve persons,
other men would be scare to do
the same thing
The victim, who has not
fully recovered yet from her
brutal rape, cannot still walk
straight, said the reason she
likes to tell her story is to heal
her and educate the incoming
generation who may have
encountered similar incident.
Even though I am HIV
positive, but I believe my story
would help the young people
to see that if a woman like me
passed through such brutality
and is still alive, will help
many young people.
NOT AUTHORIZED
Justice Ministry Pro Somersaults On News Story, Wants FrontPage Retract
T
he Public Affairs
Director of
the Ministry
of Justice
Maude Somah has
written the Management
of the FrontPageAfrica
Newspaper to retract
a newspaper story in
its Wednesday edition
captioned:Minister Tah
To Remain Law Abiding
After Reinstatement in
which the paper quoted
her.
Part of her letter to the
paper addressed to its
editor Rodney Sieh reads:
I wish to inform you that
the statement was given
voluntarily, I was not
authorized by the Minister
or anyone in the Ministry
of Justice to release any
statement relative to the
above captioned matter,
neither is my statement
representative of the
position of MOJ. In view
of the above, I request
that you retract the above
reference article.
Page 8 |
Frontpage
Henry Karmo (0886522495) henrykarmo47@gmail.com
F
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NEWS EXTRA
LIFETIME LUXURY FOR
LIBERIAN OFFICIALS
House Passes Pension Bill Lavishly spending State Resources
Monrovia-
W
ith public
resentments against the
performance of many
government offcials, a
bill that will continue to
put public monies in
government offcials
pocket, making them
to live in luxury after
public service has been
unanimously voted for
and passed by the House
of Representatives
at the 53rd National
Legislature.
On Thursday members
of the House of
Representatives voted for
an amended bill entitled
Proposed Pension Bill
of 2013 reintroduced
by Representative Edwin
M. Snowe (Independent
District #6 Montserrado
County) to provide
pension and retirement
benefts for the President
and Vice President,
the speaker and deputy
speaker of the House
of representatives, the
President Pro-Tempore
of the Liberian Senate
and members of the
legislature, as well as
elected offcers of the
Legislature, the Chief
Justice and Associate
Justices of the Supreme
court.
The bill among many
suggestions calls for
(50%) and (25%) of
benefts of the President
and vice President
be given to a former
President who was
elected and has served
his/her term successfully
and is not re-elected,
thus honorably retiring
to private life, and who is
not in any way gainfully
employed by the
government of Liberia.
The bill also calls for the
provision of at least six
personal staff to include
but not limited to two
securities, a cook, a
butler, two drivers with
two new vehicles once
every three years for the
remainder of his or her
natural life.
Additionally, they shall
be entitled to annual
Medical checkup of his/
her choice to be fully
covered by the state. She
or he shall be entitled to
duty free privilege for all
personal effects to include
a vehicle, once every
three years and be issued
a diplomatic passport for
the remainder of his/her
natural life, the bill said.
The bill also calls for
the provision of similar
annuities for the spouse
of a former President
and Vice President
who die as was given
them and that similar
amount and incentives
be given children of
former President and vice
President in the case there
is no surviving spouse
until they turn 18 years
old.
Annuities for former
speaker
A former speaker,
deputy and President
Pro-Tempore who was
elected and has served
his/her term successfully
and is not elected, thus
honorably retiring to
private life, and who is
not in any way gainfully
employed by the
government of Liberia,
shall receive government
Monthly pension salary
equal to ffty percent of
salary and twenty-fve
percent of incumbent
speakers beneft. She/
he shall be provided fve
personal staff to include
but not limited to two
securities, a cook, a
butler, a car and a driver
for the remainder of his
Natural life, section
2.4.1 of the bill is quoted.
Like the President and
vice President the former
speaker shall be entitled
to duty free privileges
for all personal effects
to include a vehicle
once every three years,
a diplomatic passport
for the remainder of his
natural life.
The bill is also seeking
for the President
and members of the
Legislature, the Chief
justice and Associate
Justices of the Supreme
Court to receive similar
benefts from the coffers
of a seating government.
Presenting the bill to his
colleagues Representative
Snowe claimed that for
too long former offcials
of government especially
past Presidents have
served their country and
reap no beneft during
their retirement life.
He said, if this bill is
accepted and passed by
the both the Senate and
House of Representatives
it will in his words add
prestige to those offces
and give dignity to
those who have served
especially elected
positions.
Like Snowe, CDC
Maryland County
lawmaker, Dr. Bhofal
chambers provided
supporting comments
to his colleague Snowe
proposal but added that
civil servants be included.
The bill was passed
and sent to the Liberian
senate for concurrence to
be sent to the President
for signature.
With the way the bill is
seeking to beneft the
interest of government
offcials, many see the
bill as another way to
continue to give money
to public offcials at the
detriment of the ordinary
man in the wake of many
accusations of corruption
against those very public
offcials.
Frontpage
Selma Lomax, selma.lomax@frontpageafricaonline.com
'BRIDGE BUILDER,
GRASSROOTS MAN'
F
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PAGE
NEWS EXTRA
Jorquelleh District, Bong County
A
former Minister of Education and
a renowned native of Jorquelleh
District #2, Dr. Mator M. F. Kbangbai,
has formally joined the Bong County
senatorial race and is expected to contest on the
ticket of the Movement for Progressive Change
(MPC).
In a move seen by many political watchers as a
potential game changer in that countys politics,
Kbangbai, who met with community leaders in
his hometown of Jorquelleh, on Sunday, said that
he decided to join the race to serve as senator
after deep refections on the present situation of
the county and the need to restore the glorious
vision of the countys founding fathers.
The former Minister described Bong as a county
with vast human and material potentials, which
can be more rapidly developed with focused and
compassionate leadership, which he (naturally
said) was prepared to offer. He promised to
ensure a harmonious working relationship with
community leaders, workers, religious leaders,
youths and students organizations, trade unions
and other stakeholders.
In the overall scheme of things, this may not be
a political fuke, observes believe.
According to the chairman, K. J. S. Kapu, former
Bong County Education Offcer -who had a
splendid working relationship with Gbarnga
during his tenure as CEO, the entry of his former
boss into the race was long overdue and would
enhance the MPCs chances in the October
election in the county.
Already, a section of the MPC rank and fle,
who had decamped to the Unity Party Bong and
Congress for Democratic Change Bong Chapter
were already considering a return to the party
with a view to teaming up with Kbangbai in the
lead up to the October election.
A former local leader of district two, who
recently crossed over to the UP in the
administrative district, speaking on condition of
anonymity, described the entry of Kbangbai into
the senatorial race as an indication that the MPC
was now prepared to wrestle power from the
incumbent Jewel Howard-Taylor in Bong.
According to him, The former minister is the
only man who can appeal to those who had left
the party to return because he had always been
a bridge-builder and grassroots politician. He is
one of the few remaining level-headed leaders in
the politics in the county, who does not behave
as if others do not matter.
DEATH ANNOUNCEMENT
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh; blessed be the name of the Lord. The
Gwengatei, Pennoh and Lawrence families regret to announce the passing
of their beloved wife, mother, sister, aunty, cousin and friend, Mrs. Cecilia
Akuavi Lawrence Gwengatei.
This sad event occurs on July 2 at her home in Logan Town, Monrovia,
Liberia.
She leaves to cherish her memories, her loving husband Tarmue S. Gwengatei
Sr; three loving children, Cecil A. Gardner (Massa), James C. Lawrence and
Tarmue S. Gwengatei, Jr. and foster children Francis B. Gayte, Adolphus
S. Gayte, Elijah Sackie, Samuel Bondo, T. Patrick Newman and Garlimah
Sackie.
Cecilia will be greatly missed by her siblings: Elizabeth Teta Lawrence
Gooding (Emmett), Alfred Kwasi Lawrence, Felix Kobblah Lawrence,
Emmanuel Ayiettey Lawrence (Amanda), Faith Ayele Lawrence, James
Willington Lawrence, Sarah Seytu Lawrence, Augustus Cafuema Lawrence
(Barbara), Roland Rookie Lawrence, Adolph Akwe Lawrence (Nyonblee),
Anthony Wakie Lawrence (Lungille) and Roselyn Lawrence and a host of
uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives and friends.
FUNERAL ARRANGEMENTS
The body will be removed from St. Moses Funeral Parlor at 4:00PM on
August 1 and taken to the Faith AME Church in Logan Town for a night of
wake keeping, which starts at 6:00PM.
The funeral service will be held on August 2 at the Eliza Turner Memorial
AME Church on Camp Johnson Road, Monrovia on August 2 at 10:00AM.
Interment takes place in Duport Road, Monrovia Liberia, which will be
followed by a repast at the St. Kizito Church compound in Paynesville.
Contacts:
Cecil A. Gardiner (Massa) +231 886 757 013 +231 886 594 162
Francis B. Gayte +231 880 710 590
Elizabeth Teta Lawrence Gooding (Emmett) +1 231 886 517 309 / +231 777
513 429
Alfred Kwasi Lawrence +1 916 730 6638
Felix Kobblah Lawrence +1 404 468 7616
Emmanuel Ayiettey Lawrence (Amanda) +231 777 403 030 / +1 201 388 6548
Faith Ayele Lawrence +1 301 455 2501
George Garber (Stanita) +1 917 822 6281 / +1 631 231 3234
Claude Langley (Charlene) +231 888 494 573 / +231 775 933 439
Adolph Akwe Lawrence (Nyonblee) +231 777 057 177 / +231 777 777 560
Roselyn Lawrence +231 777 550 941
James Ambrose Lawrence +231 777 520 382
Kbangbai's Senatorial Bid Gathers Momentum in Bong

BUCHANAN HOSTS OPEN BUDGET
INITIATIVE PUBLIC AWARENESS LAUNCH
Monrovia -
A
fter commissioning
a CSO driven
public awareness
raising campaign,
the Government of Liberia
through the Ministry of
Finance and Development
Planning in partnership with
Center for Media Studies and
Peacebuilding, (CEMESP),
will offcially launch the project
on Saturday 19th July instant
in the administrative building
of the Port city of Buchanan,
Grand Bassa County.
Minister of Finance and
Development Planning
designate Amara Konneh is
expected to be in attendance
to formally deliver the keynote
address while former Deputy
Minister Sebastian Muah will
give an overview of the Open
Budget Initiative that Liberia
has since embraced in context
of fscal accountability and
transparency.
Based on the theme, Fostering
Openness and Accountability
Through Access to Information,
this program will mark the
turning point in bringing
budget related information to
the grassroots.
The Mayor of Buchanan
Julia Bono among other
resident dignitaries from
the government and private
sector are expected to be in
attendance and make welcome
and goodwill remarks about
open budget.
According to CEMESP
Executive Director Malcolm
Joseph this launch will signal
to our colleague CSOs assigned
to different counties to reach
out to the people with various
Information, Communication
and Education materials
designed.
There are cartoon features,
tract messages, banners, wrist
bands and billboards designed
to carry various Open Budget

message thrust.
These messages seek to among
other things inspire citizens to
participate in the Open Budget
Initiative from the point of
view of advocacy, monitoring
and tracking.
In addition to facilitating the
Buchanan launch, CEMESP
has carried out open Budget
awareness campaign to Sinoe
and Rivercess counties.
It can be recalled that,
President Ellen Johnson-
Sirleaf on, Wednesday, January
23, 2013 offcially inaugurated
the electronic billboard,
located at the Ministry of
Finance, to display an updated
profle of Liberias public
fnances in a manner that the
ordinary man and woman on
the street will understand.
The US Government, via the
USAID-funded Governance
and Economic Management
Support (USAID-GEMS)
project, provided funding
and technical assistance for
the billboard; and the African
Development Bank through
support to the Medium Term
Expenditure Framework
(MTEF) is also providing
support to capacity needs of
the effort.
Page 10 |
Frontpage
F
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EBOLA
T
he worst-ever Ebola
epidemic continues
to unfold in West
Africa, with no sign
that it will be under control
anytime soon. As of Saturday,
there have been 397 deaths
among the 706 confrmed
cases (a 56 percent fatality
rate) since reports of Ebola
cases in West Africa began
to emerge in March. The
frst cases of the epidemic
were reported in Guinea,
but additional cases were
later reported in neighboring
Liberia and then Sierra Leone.
All three countries have
poor health infrastructure
and are struggling alongside
international actors to stop
Ebolas spread.
A recent Washington Post
editorial was pretty damning
for the West African
governments responding to
the Ebola epidemic, but if we
think about the constraints
these governments face in
their response, we shouldnt
be surprised. The editorial
remarked that, Ebola is not
new medical teams have
always effectively segregated
infected areas and stopped the
viruss spread. The method is
understood: treat the patients,
trace their contacts and isolate
those people. If only it were
that simple.
Like other public health
epidemics, local government
response is often shaped by the
actions of international actors
and success is constrained by
the public whose health theyre
trying to secure. In my research,
I refer to this as the global
supply chain of a public health
intervention. There are a lot of
links in the chain each link
representing an opportunity for
something to go wrong. In this
post, I apply my framework to
the current Ebola epidemic to
identify potential explanations
about why the response has yet
to be effective in stopping the
diseases spread.
But frst, what is Ebola, how
does it spread and where is it
now?
Ebola is an infectious virus
that often results in death.
Anywhere between 2 and 21
days after infection, patients
early symptoms will include
fever, weakness, muscle pain,
headaches and a sore throat.
The disease progresses to
vomiting, diarrhea, impaired
organ function and bleeding.
There is no vaccine to protect
against Ebola, and there are
no specifc treatments beyond
managing symptoms of those
infected. The primary goal in
responding to Ebola, then, is
to stop its spread by isolating
those suspected of infection
and raising awareness in
affected communities on how
to protect against infection.
Ebola is a zoonotic disease,
meaning it is transmitted
to people from animals; in
the case of Ebola, the most
likely reservoir is fruit bats.
Then Ebola spreads between
people as a result of coming
into contact with the blood or
bodily fuids of an infected
person or through exposure
to instruments contaminated
with infected bodily fuids. The

most at-risk populations are
family members and/or health-
care workers caring for those
infected with Ebola because
they come into close contact
with infectious secretions.
Ebola infection is diffcult
to confrm, often requiring
multiple blood tests. In some
rural areas in Africa, strong
beliefs about protecting
ones blood(our life force)
only makes more diffcult
the necessary collection of
blood specimens to confrm
Ebola cases. The blood tests
often used to confrm Ebola
require a technologically
advanced laboratory. Early in
the epidemic, samples had to
be sent to France, Germany
and Senegal for testing. In
Sierra Leone, there is only
one laboratory capable of
testing for Ebola. The limited
availability of laboratory
testing slows response.
The current epidemic is the
frst outbreak of Ebola in West
Africa, and its geographic
spread has been wide, with
cases reported in more than
60 locations across three
countries. This outbreak marks
the frst time that Ebola has
been reported in a capital city
in this case, all three capitals
of the affected countries:
Freetown, Sierra Leones
capital, which has an airport
offering about 15 international
fights per week (four to
London);Monrovia, Liberias
capital, whose airport has
about 11 international fights
per week (four to Brussels);
and Conakry, the capital of
Guinea, whose airport has
about 13 international fights
per week (three to Paris).
Suspected cases have also been
reported in Ghana, including
an American citizen, but none
of these was confrmed to be
Ebola.
How concerned should a North
American be about their risk
of infection? There was a
suspected case in Canada that
was later confrmed not to be
Ebola. Contrary to the concerns
raised by retired physician and
current U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey
(R-Ga.) that migrant children
crossing into the United States
from Mexico were carrying
Ebola, there has never been
an Ebola case reported in
humans beyond the African
continent (NB: Animals have
tested positive for a much less
severe strain in the 1980s and
1990s in the Philippines, the
United States and Italy, and
in the 2000s in China and the
Philippines).
Why hasnt the Ebola epidemic
declined?
This answer isnt as easy as
pointing the fnger at West
African governments or poor
health infrastructure. Nor
can we simply blame poor
international coordination by
the worlds leading health
organization. There are a
number of reasons that we
are yet to see a decline, and
below I offer a few potential
explanations.
1. Curbing the spread of Ebola
doesnt happen overnight.
One of the more successful
Ebola responses was in
Uganda in 2012. That epidemic
claimed 17 lives among 24
confrmed cases. The Uganda
outbreak occurred in a single
country meaning there was
no need to coordinate across
multiple governments. Uganda
also had the unfortunate beneft
of having experienced three
previous Ebola outbreaks, from
which the health community
had learned lessons. Two years
before the 2012 outbreak, the
CDC set up a lab at Ugandas
Virus Research Institute
specifcally tasked with
the rapid diagnosis of viral
hemorrhagic fevers (including
Ebola), reducing the time it
took to confrm Ebola cases,
which facilitated a quicker
response. Even under these
more favorable circumstances,
the 2012 Uganda Ebola
epidemic lasted 68 days.
The frst confrmed Ebola cases
in West Africa were reported
March 21, 2014, meaning we
are 116 days into the epidemic.
A major contrast for this
epidemic is that it is unfolding
in a context that has no previous
Ebola experience. At the same
time, current epidemic requires
coordination across three
countries governments and
health agencies, as well as a
myriad of partners.
In resource-constrained
settings, especially those
with limited experience in
responding to Ebola, response
by international health experts
is essential but takes time.
The amount of time it takes
the international community
to respond varies greatly.
Only six days into the 2000
Uganda Ebola outbreak, the
donor community fnancially
supplemented the governments
Ebola budget (adding $400,000
to the governments $285,000).
Theres no available data for
us to make an apples-to-apples
comparison, but it seems that
the international response
has been quick in some areas,
but not all (remember the
wide geographic spread of
the current epidemic). For
example, Doctors Without
Borders/Medecins Sans
Frontires (MSF) sent a
specialized team to Gueckedou
on March 18, just six days
after another MSF team
already in Guinea (working
on a malaria project) had
WORST-EVER EBOLA

A picture taken on June 28 shows medical workers attending a meeting as they prepare for an intervention at the isolation
ward of the Donka Hospital in Conakry, where people infected with the Ebola virus are being treated. (Cellou Binani/
Agence France-Presse via Getty Images
u
see page 11
Frontpage
F
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PAGE
EBOLA
FAKE EBOLA VACCINE CAUSES
PANIC IN PAYNESVILLE
Kennedy L. Yangian kennedylyangian@frontpagearicaonline.com 077296781
learned from Guineas Health
Ministry about what was then
characterized as a mysterious
disease. However, with
respect to coordinating
response across the countries,
there seems to have been
greater delay. For example, it
was not until July 2 that the
World Health Organization
convened a special meeting
bringing together ministries of
health and partners involved in
the Ebola outbreak to discuss
a collective response. Only
today is the WHO activating
operations at a Sub-Regional
Outbreak Coordination Center
it recently established in
Conakry.
2. These countries are ill-
equipped to respond to Ebola,
and some of what theyve
done in response doesnt seem
productive.
All three affected countries
have poor health infrastructure.
Health policy and surveillance
documents and scholarly
literature on health in Sierra
Leone and Liberia often start
with a statement akin to, After
more than a decade of civil war,
there was near-total destruction
of the health systemGuinea
didnt fare much better; its
resource-poor health system
was overburdened by refugees
feeing the wars in Sierra Leone
and Liberia.Health personnel
are also scarce
in these countries. For
example, Liberia has just 0.014
doctors per 1,000 people.
Government responses to the
epidemic arent helping. On
June 30, Liberian President
Ellen Johson Sirleaf proclaimed
that the government would
prosecute anyone reported
to be holding suspected
Ebola cases in homes or
prayer houses. Sierra Leone
President Ernest Bai Koroma
madea similar statement. If we
look for the good intentions
in these leaders statements,
we might attribute them with
intending to increase traffc
of suspected Ebola cases to
formal health institutions,
where people can be properly
isolated, subsequently allowing
others who may have come into
contact with a suspected case
to be traced, ultimately curbing
the outbreaks spread. But is
the threat of prosecution the
best motivation for increasing
health-seeking behavior? If a
government is ill-equipped to
provide basic health services
in far-fung regions of the
country, how equipped is that
same government to prosecute
evasion of health care?
In Liberia, we know that people
in rural areas actually have
relatively high usage of formal
health care, even in the face
of serious geographical and
fnancial barriers to access.
Scholars recommended
focusing on quality of care
rather than mobilizing demand
for care as high quality of
services and availability of
drugs are still problematic in
much of Liberia.
3. The many actors involved in
the Ebola response can actually
complicate the response,
especially if its unclear who is
in charge.
Like most responses to
infectious disease epidemics,
there is a myriad of actors
involved in the response to
Ebola in West Africa. These
include the local ministries
of health of Liberia, Guinea,
and Sierra Leone, the WHO,
(MSF, CDC, UNICEF, Institut
Pasteur, the European Mobile
Laboratory Project (funded
by the European Union), and
others.
A signifcant challenge in
responding to public health
problems is coordinating
across these actors. Part of the
challenge is the lack of clarity
on who should lead response
efforts. As political scientist
Jeremy Youdewrites in his
2012 book Global Health
Governance, though the
WHO dominated international
health governance
immediately after World War
II, existing organizations
intergovernmental
organizations as well as private
corporations, philanthropic
organizations and civil
society organizations have
expanded their mandates to
cover global health issues,
and new health organizations
have emerged leading to
volatility in the WHOs ability
to be a leading voice.
4. Ultimately, the success or
failure of the Ebola response
relies on the ordinary people
who are at risk of becoming
infected.
There is little known about
the beliefs and opinions on
Ebola and response to Ebola
of ordinary West Africans who
are navigating the epidemic.
What little we know about
local perceptions are those
reported by local journalists
(see this on Sierra Leone) or
by international health workers
(see this on Guinea). However,
these assessments of local
perceptions of Ebola are not
necessarily representative of
the population of interest in
this case, those sick with or at
risk of contracting Ebola. This
population matters most for
understanding how effective the
response will be; their beliefs
will shape their acceptance,
rejection, or adaptation of
the health messages being
deployed at them. One solution
is to draw from research about
Ebola beliefs elsewhere on the
continent. As one study of the
cultural contexts of Ebola in

Uganda showed, some cultural
practices may have amplifed
the outbreak, but local people
held beliefs and practices that
could also be useful to control
a rapid and high-fatality
epidemic like Ebola. The
authors concluded:
Because local people have
lived with high mortality rates
and serious epidemics for
some time, their knowledge
may be useful to national and
international teams in their
efforts to control emerging
diseases.
A Liberian UNICEF feld
worker reads from a poster that
talks about how to prevent the
spread of the Ebola epidemic
during an awareness campaign
in Monrovia last month.
(Ahmed Jallanzo/European
Pressphoto Agency)
Like most health interventions,
a major component is
spreading awareness about
the disease, plainly, what it is
and how to avoid infection.
These awareness-raising
campaigns rely on whether
ordinary citizens believe
the messages, which often
must overcome strongly held
notions about health and
disease. At the same time,
awareness-raising campaigns
compete with rumors about
and suspicions of government
provision of health care and/
or international providers
of health care. Violence at a
clinic treating Ebola patients
in Guinea in April is one
example the crowd attacking
the clinic accused MSF health
workers of bringing Ebola
to Guinea. In her research,
sociologist Amy Kaler warns
against simply characterizing
rumors as representations
of misunderstanding best
dealt with by the provision
of accurate information and
instead see them as more than
the absence of truth and try to
tailor public health responses
that consider the power of
existing rumors surrounding
health/disease.
Government health workers administer blood tests to check for the Ebola virus in Kenema, Sierra Leone, last month. (Umaru Fofana/Reuters)
Monrovia-
R
umors that some
people are moving
around from one
community to
another in Monrovia and
its environs administering
vaccines to children to prevent
the deadly Ebola vaccine,
caused uneasiness for parents
in the Paynesville Community
Wednesday.
At the densely populated
Red-light Market where
the information frst started
according to eyewitnesses
who hinted FrontPageAfrica,
the rumor caused shockwaves
when it hit the densely
populated market center like
wild fre. Most of the marketers
who received the information
were seen rushing back home
to tell their children to avoid
the vaccine, while some placed
calls back home to sound the
warning.
In the Pipeline Community,
which was another scene of
the rumor, an older disabled
man believed to be in his
late ffties, was seen moving
from one home to another
telling his neighbors to avoid
anyone who may come to their
doorsteps under the pretense of
administering Ebola vaccine to
children.
When the government was
about to administer the polio
vaccine everyone was informed
through the radio, but why are
they making the Ebola vaccine
secret? The man only identifed
Parents Warn Children To Avoid Being Vaccinated
as Kerkulah wondered.
According to a FrontPageAfrica
investigation conducted in
the Paynesville Community
following the circulation of the
rumor, parents of the various
communities have warned
their children to avoid taking
the Ebola vaccine for fear that
it may lead to their early death.
Whether Ebola is here or not I
dont want any of my children
to take this Ebola vaccine. I
told my children that while we
are away, they should avoid
anyone that will come here
to administer Ebola vaccine
because we are not informed of
any Ebola vaccine one parent
Ma Fatu Konneh told FPA.
Page 12 |
Frontpage
F
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PAGE
EBOLA
EBOLA SURVIVOR SHUNNED AS A
ZOMBIE JOINS FIGHT AGAINST VIRUS

J
amila got a cold
reception when she
returned home after 12
days in an isolation ward
battling the Ebola virus in her
hometown of Conakry, Guineas
capital.
Though she survived, Jamila
was fred from her job as a
philosophy teacher because her
school feared she would infect
her students, the 24-year-old
said in an interview on July 3.
She spoke on condition that
her surname wasnt published
because she doesnt want to be
recognized as someone who has
had the disease.
People looked at me like Id
come back from the dead, like I
was a zombie, said Jamila, who
now does part-time work for
Medecins Sans Frontieres, the
Geneva-based medical charity.
Nobody except my relatives
wanted anything to do with me
anymore.
The social stigma attached to
Ebola, a hemorrhagic fever that
kills as many as 90 percent of its
victims, is complicating efforts to
contain the worst-ever outbreak
of the virus. The disease has
claimed more than 600 lives in
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
since March, and will continue to
spread for another four months,
according to the World Health
Organization.
Protecting Against the Ebola
Virus
Widespread misconceptions,
denial and hostility to medical
workers are slowing efforts to
stop the virus from spreading, the
United Nations Childrens Fund
said this month. Some people
hide when they fall sick, while
others believe the disease isnt
real or that white researchers
have introduced it to experiment
on Africans. Those who survive
are often treated as outcasts,
Jamila said.
Weak System
The outbreak has exposed
weaknesses in the health systems
of the affected countries, which
are among the poorest in the
world and whose crowded
capitals lack tap water or sewage
systems in all but the wealthy
neighborhoods.
Health systems, particularly on a
rural level, arent working well,
said Guido Borghese, an adviser
on child survival for Unicef in
West and Central Africa. They
need to be strengthened, and not
just to deal with an epidemic.
The illness spreads through
contact with bodily fuids of
infected people, according to the
WHO. It causes fever, diarrhea
and vomiting, and can lead to
bleeding from the eyes, ears
and nose. There is no specifc
treatment or vaccine for the
virus, which was frst identifed
in what is now theDemocratic
Republic
of Congo in 1976.
Hygiene Guidelines
The latest outbreak began fve
months ago in small towns
surrounded by dense forests in
southeastern Guinea, near the
border with Liberia. Since then,
it has jumped across two borders
and reached the three countries
capitals. In Guinea, it was able
to spread because medical staff
ignored basic hygiene guidelines,
Minister of Health Remy Lamah
said in an interview. Some of the
doctors and nurses who died in
the frst wave of the outbreak
didnt make a habit of washing
their hands, he said.
We paid a high price by not
respecting basic standards of
hygiene, Lamah said.
At least 32 health workers have
died in the current outbreak,
according to the WHO. Medical
staff in West Africa often ignore
basic precautions, like using
gloves for blood tests, Marie-
Christine Ferir, emergency
program coordinator for
Medecins Sans Frontieres, said
in an interview. Clinics in rural
areas may lack running water or
basic equipment like gloves and
face masks, she said.
Adequate Care
Sometimes the staff are willing
to do it but they dont have the
means, and sometimes they have
the means but they dont do it,
said Ferir, who helped set up
isolation units to treat patients.
We still have colleagues --
medical staff -- dying from Ebola
every week.
Theres an acute lack of adequate
health care and sanitation in
the three affected countries.
Guineaspends the equivalent of
$32 per person on public and
private health services, a third of
Sierra Leones $96, according to
World Bank data for 2012. That
compares with $8,895 in the U.S.
Health-care spending in Liberia
amounted to $65 per person.
Fewer than one in fve people
in the three countries has access
to what the World Bank calls
improved sanitation: fush toilets
or pit latrines.
In Liberia, denial and fear are
hindering the governments
efforts to contain the outbreak.
There is high level of denial
and theres the stigma that goes
with the disease, Bernice Dahn,
the countrys chief medical
offcer, told reporters last week.
They go to churches, they go to
traditional healers, before they
will go to a health facility.
Victims Relatives
Its been diffcult to persuade
relatives of Ebola victims that
they cant hold a traditional
funeral, she said.
Relatives do not want to see
their loved ones buried in a
thermic plastic bag, Dahn said.
They want to touch the body,
wash it, dress it.
Persuading Sierra Leoneans
that the disease exists has been
diffcult, Abubakar Fofanah,
deputy minister of health and
sanitation, said in an interview.
Relatives have broken in to
clinics to take patients diagnosed
with Ebola home. Last month,
youth in a village set fre to
drugs they said were meant to
kill Ebola patients.
Its worrying as more and
more people are testing positive
and more and more people are
dying, Fofanah said.
The nations health ministry has
warned nurses and pharmacists
that its illegal to treat suspected
patients at home or at private
clinics. Hiding relatives who may
have Ebola is also considered a
serious crime, the ministry said
this month in a statement.
Populations Trust
We need the help and the
trust of the population to fght
Ebola, MSFs Ferir said.
Unfortunately, thats not yet the
case today.
Health ministers from 11
countries agreed at an emergency
meeting in Accra, Ghana, this
month that campaigns must
be leveraged to assuage fears
and make sure unsafe cultural
practices are avoided. Still, some
people wont believe Ebola
exists until they see it with their
own eyes.
What we were shown on
posters as the signs and
symptoms of Ebola is not what
Im seeing, Yayah Sesay, who
runs a motorbike taxi business in
Freetown, said in an interview.
Diarrhea has been affecting
us, fever has been around, and
cholera, too, has been affecting
people. I think theyve combined
all these illnesses and called it
Ebola.
Frontpage
REGULATOR STILL IN LACC DRAGNET
Commission on Higher Education Director General long Corruption tale
ALPHA DAFFAE SENKPENI, daffae822gmail.com
F
RONT
PAGE
COUNTY NEWS
T
he challenges
Liberians in the
rural parts of the
country endure
when commuting becomes
more critical during the rainy
season especially with the
abandonment of literate roads
in these parts of the country by
the Ministry of Public Works
(MPW). This has left Grand
Bassa County administration
to also switch all the blames
of the deplorable roads in the
county on the MPW.
The county offcial
spokesman told FPA that the
ministry has ignored these
roads because it thinks the
county development funds
can cover the reconstruction
of the county roads.
Eddie Williams said the
county has on several
occasions told the MPW
about the constraints it face
to maintain roads in the
county but all to no avail as
a result many roads are left
unattended ahead of the rainy
season.
Williams said besides the
Buchanan-Cotton Tree
highway which construction
was sponsored by the World
Bank, the MPW has not
touched any road for over a
decade adding that all roads
in the county are done at the
expense of the social and
county development funds
which should be diverted to
other development projects.
One major route linking the
city with Districts Three and
Four, Rivercess and Bong
Counties is in ruin and has led
to the hick in transportation
fare as well as constraints
for concessions and other
institutions operating in the
area.
June and July heavy rains
have left many roads damage
with locals who heavily rely
on commercial vehicles
feeling the pinch as many
drivers are refusing to use the
roads because they fear their
vehicles might get damaged.
The few drivers who are
willing to take the risk have
increased the fare.
In Buchanan several
community roads are
also damaging with few
communities resulting to
manually repairing their area
roads.
Recently, the county
administration claimed it was
accessing the impact of the
road condition and would
later consider rehabilitating
them but it also justifed that
the level of rain fall is posing
diffculties to any possible
intervention.
Grand Bassa County
administration said it did
aerial assessment on the
condition of roads when the
county Superintendent aided
WHOS TO BLAME?
by Arcelol Mittal and the
county engineer few over the
county and did aerial photos
and catalog all the drainages
The county administration
stressed that the Works
Ministry has not done roads in
the county since 1990 leaving
drainages and water ways
abandoned thereby causing
these roads to depreciate even
if manor rehabilitations are
done on them.
Currently, according to the
county administration, the
county project planner and
engineers are meeting with
companies that are using
roads in the hinterland of
the county. They reportedly
discussed with other partners
and road users on how to deal
with these roads and other
roads in the county.
What many observers have
insinuated is that companies
operating in the county could
get seriously affected if the
rainy reason reaches its peak.
Logging companies will
either have to slow down the
transporting of logs since the
constant use of these roads
will depreciate whatever
manor repair that might be
done.
Most people in the county
suggest that it will be prudent
if the county administration
calls all users of the road
(concessions and companies)
on the table and negotiate to
solve these continues road
problem in the county.
The county Information
offcer confrmed that such
discussions are ongoing
but considering that the
companies pay taxes to
national government, it is
diffcult to impose on them
since they expect national
government to provide a
suitable environment.
Mr. Williams said the local
administration is engaging
the companies constructively
to ensure that roads are
rehabilitated. He named
Arcelol-Mittal, Forest
Venture, LAC, MENDRA-
LTTC and Equatorial Palm
Oil as some of the companies
the county is engaging.
Engineers assessment reports
have shown that these roads
need massive reconstruction
and could cost a huge sum
of money but the question of
wither the MPW will cover
some of the costs or leave the
burden on the county and the
investors as it did in the past
remain unanswered.
Grand Bassa County
administration received
US$600, 000 out of US$1.7
M at the end of this fscal year
and with pressure already
mounting on the countys
development offce to explain
how this amount will be
use amidst the colossal
development hullabaloo
adding roads to the list will
only add insult to injury.
BASSA OFFICIAL SAYS MPW HAS IGNORED ROADS IN GRAND BASSA
Page 14 |
Frontpage
IN BRIEF
FORMER S.AFRICAN
PRESIDENT GRILLED
OVER ARMS DEAL
UGANDA STREET KIDS
'ABUSED BY POLICE'
ASSASSINATION, AIRPORT
SHELLING DEEPEN LIBYA'S CHAOS

Pretoria (AFP) -
F
ormer South African
president Thabo
Mbeki was grilled
Thursday over a multi-
billion-dollar arms deal tainted
by charges of corruption and
kickbacks which have dogged
the government for a decade.
Testifying before a commission
of inquiry, Mbeki defended
the decision in 1999 to
spend $5 billion on arms
including military aircraft and
submarines despite widespread
poverty in a country emerging
from apartheid.
The government wanted to
reclaim the defence force from
the white-minority apartheid
regime ousted by former
president Nelson Mandela's
African National Congress in
1994, he said.
People needed to see "we have
a new entity consistent with
the new South Africa," an
apparently tense Mbeki told the
commission headed by appeals
court judge Willie Seriti.
TRIPOLI/BENGHAZI Libya
(Reuters) -
S
everal shells hit the
terminal of Libya's main
airport on Thursday as
rival militias fought in
Tripoli for a ffth day, and gunmen
assassinated a female politician in
the east.
In another sign of growing turmoil,
air controllers halted work in
Tripoli, shutting off much of
the oil-producing country from
international traffc.
Tripoli International Airport has
been a battlefeld since fghters
attacked it with heavy guns on
Sunday to wrest control from a
rival militia which has been based
there since the fall of Libya's late
ruler Muammar Gaddaf in 2011.
Kampala (AFP) -
S
treet children in Uganda
suffer from systematic
abuse by the country's
police and other offcials,
including beatings and sex attacks,
Human Rights Watch said in a
report Thursday.
Human Rights Watch said it had
documented how police and
offcials threaten street children at
night, and beat them with batons,
whips, or wires to extort bribes or
as a punishment for vagrancy.
Homeless children are also at risk
of beatings and forced drug use
from older homeless children or
adults, and both boys and girls
living on the street reported being
raped or sexually assaulted by men
and older street boys, the report
said.

PARIS (AP)
F
rench troops are still
in Mali a year and a
half after they were
sent there for a targeted
operation against extremists.
And instead of leaving,
they're about to expand their
mission to fghting terrorism
from the Atlantic coast to the
Mediterranean.
That's because the region's
terrorist problem hasn't gone
away: French troops merely
dispersed Mali's al-Qaida-linked
militants, and their potential
ties with Nigerian militant
group Boko Haram are of
increasing concern to the French
government.
The redeployment of 3,000
French troops in fve of its
former colonies across northwest
Africa is expected to become
offcial in the coming days.
Defense Minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian arrived Wednesday in
Mali, and President Francois
Hollande is starting a three-day
visit to Ivory Coast, Niger and
Chad on Thursday.
Africans have mixed feelings
about French soldiers setting up
camp long-term. Some in Mali
see it as a neo-colonial power
grab, while others feel that the
French are only extending the
mission because they failed to
fnish the job they started in
January 2013.
"A sovereign country should not
accept the presence of foreign
troops to assure its security.
France took advantage of the
weakness of our defense system
to set itself up again in our
TERRORISTS HUNTERS

F
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PAGE
WORLD NEWS
GAZA HUMANITARIAN CEASEFIRE LARGELY
HOLDS, ISRAEL MOOTS FULL TRUCE
GAZA/JERUSALEM(Reuters) -
P
alestinians rushed to
shops and banks on
Thursday during a
fve-hour humanitarian
ceasefre that largely held, and
an Israeli offcial said Egypt had
proposed a permanent truce that
would start on Friday.
But there was uncertainty about
prospects for a full cessation
of violence after the temporary
truce lapsed.
The offcial said senior Israeli
negotiators in Cairo had
approved a full truce to end
10 days of warfare but a fnal
decision lay with Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's security
cabinet. Foreign Minister
Avigdor Lieberman said he had
spoken with Netanyahu and
added: "We are not familiar with
the matter".
A spokesman for the Islamist
Hamas rulers of Gaza denied
initial comments by the Israeli
offcial that a full ceasefre was
slated to start at 6 a.m. (0300
GMT) on Friday.
Sirens sounded in southern Israel
at 3 p.m. (1200 GMT), at the end
of the fve-hour ceasefre, and the
military said a rocket had been
fred at the cities of Ashkelon
and Beersheba.
During Thursday's period of
relative calm, the Israeli military
said three mortar bombs were
launched into Israel from the
Gaza Strip, landing in open
areas.
Israeli forces, the military added,
fred mortar rounds into the
Palestinian territory during the
truce period after a soldier was
slightly wounded by a blast near
the frontier.
Hours before the humanitarian
ceasefre began, about a dozen
Palestinian fghters tunnelled
under the border, emerging near
an Israeli community. At least
one was killed when Israeli
aircraft bombed the group, the
military said.
The break in 10 days of fghting
was requested by the United
Nations to allow residents of
the tiny, densely populated
and impoverished Gaza Strip
to gather supplies and repair
damage to infrastructure such as
water mains and power lines.
A Palestinian woman holds her
baby as she waits to withdraw
cash from an ATM machine
outside a bank
Gaza health offcials say at
least 224 Palestinians, mostly
civilians, have been killed. In
Israel, one civilian has been
killed by fre from Gaza, where
the Israeli military says more
than 1,300 rockets have been
launched into the Jewish state.
The rocket salvoes have made a
race to shelters a daily routine for
hundreds of thousands of people.
Israel's military, which
government offcials said was
poised to expand its air and naval
bombardments into possible
ground operations, had said
it would respond "frmly and
decisively" if militants launched
attacks during the truce.
In Gaza City, hundreds of
Palestinian lined up outside
banks to collect salaries paid
directly into their accounts, while
others went food shopping. Gaza
roads almost deserted over days
of confict were flled again with
traffc.
"We are here to get paid. Thank
God for the calm and we hope

country, after it was chased out
in 1960 by the Malian people,"
said Bassirou Guindo, a Bamako
vendor.
The new operation codenamed
"Barkhane" after a crescent-
shaped dune in Sahara desert
will involve Mali, Mauritania,
Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
While Hollande said this week
that the original Mali operation,
called Serval, "has been perfectly
accomplished," sporadic
violence continues. A French
soldier was killed Monday by a
suicide attack while taking part
in a reconnaissance mission
in northern Mali. And deadly
violence has rocked the north
in recent months as Tuareg
separatists push back against
central authority.
"There are still major risks that
jihadists will develop in the
zone," Le Drian said Sunday
on Europe 1 radio. The shifting
strategy is aimed at preventing
the "highway" across the region
now used for drug and weapons
traffcking "from becoming a
place of permanent passage,
where jihadist groups between
Libya and the Atlantic Ocean
can rebuild themselves. It's our
security which is at stake," he
said. French authorities say al-
Qaida's North Africa branch,
with fghters scattered around
the region, is the main threat
to French targets at home and
around the world.
The number of soldiers in the
region will remain roughly
the same, with some 1,000 of
them staying in northern Mali.
The operation will have its
headquarters in the Chadian
capital of N'Djamena.
A senior French presidential
aide said the shift "will allow
us to have more fexibility so
that we can take into account
the situation in each country and
deploy reinforcements where it
is necessary." The aide spoke on
condition of anonymity because
the operation is not offcially
launched yet.
The force will count 20
helicopters, 200 armored
vehicles, 10 transport planes,
6 fghter jets and 3 drones,
according to the defense
ministry.
Hollande's visit to Niger and
Chad will focus on terrorism
issues while his stop in Ivory
Coast will be dedicated to
economy. The French president
will visit the French air base of
Niger's capital Niamey, where
unmanned aircraft are based,
including two U.S.-made Reaper
surveillance drones. He will also
visit the French military base of
Kossei in Chad.
Terrorism: France to redeploy its troops in Africa
it lasts," said Zakaria Ahmed,
35. "We hope Egypt brings a
good truce, we hope the killing
will stop and (Gaza's border)
crossings will open."
There was also relief in Israel. In
Ashkelon, which has been under
frequent rocket fre, families
strolled through the streets after
remaining at home for the past
week.
"They fnally decided, for at
least a short time, on a ceasefre
... so we can have some fun now
during summer break," youngster
Netanel Moshe Popesmedo said
on Channel 10 television.
After the early morning clash
over the tunnel, and before the
fve-hour ceasefre began, sirens
sounded across Israel, including
in the Tel Aviv area, the country's
heartland, warning of a heavy
barrage of incoming rockets.
The military said at least one
rocket was intercepted by the
Iron Dome anti-missile system
and another fell in a town near
Tel Aviv. There were no reports
of casualties.
Also before the pause in fghting,
an Israeli aircraft bombed a
structure in Rafah in southern
Gaza, killing three militants,
medical offcials said.
CEASEFIRE EFFORTS
President Barack Obama said
on Wednesday he supported
Egyptian efforts to agree
a ceasefre that would end
the worst fare-up of Israeli-
Palestinian hostilities in two
years. U.S. offcials would use
their diplomatic resources over
the next 24 hours to pursue
closing a deal, he said.
Frontpage
BRAZIL WORLD CUP 2014
Sports
SPORTS
LIVERPOOL TARGET 16M
LYON STAR ALEXANDRE
LACAZETTE AS BONY AND
LUKAKU DEALS FALL SILENT
ARSENAL JOINS PURSUIT
OF SAMI KHEIDRA
DEMBA BA WILL WEAR NO 9
SHIRT AT BESIKTAS AFTER
COMPLETING HIS MOVE FROM
CHELSEA

L
IVERPOOL have
turned their attentions
to signing Lyon
striker Alexandre
Lacazette after enquiries for
Romelu Lukaku and Wilfried
Bony failed to yield any results.
French reports claim Lverpool
are monitoring the 16m-rated
international striker to replace
Barcelona convert Luis Suarez.
And could reinvest some of
the 75m on the 23-year-old
youngster in the next few
days. Lacazette has enjoyed
a breakthrough season with
domestic side Lyon - netting 15
goals in 32 matches to ensure a
ffth-pace fnish in Ligue 1.
However, many Liverpool fans
could be forgiven for treating
any such move with skepticism.
Liverpool's capture of 20-year-
old Bosnian winger Lazar
Markovic for a signifcant
20m fee already constitutes a
risk for Brendan Rodgers.
Demba Ba has been given the No 9
shirt by his new club Besiktas after
completing a move from Chelsea
for a fee of around 8million.
The striker few to Istanbul on
Wednesday morning, before being
unveiled by the Turkish giants in
the afternoon.
The 29-year-old tweeted a message
in Turkish saying, 'I'm here @
Besiktas!', and shortly after he was
unveiled with the club's No 9 shirt.
'The interest shown by the fans and
the new stadium project won me
over,' said the Senegalese striker.
'I'm very happy to be here, all that
is left is a few formalities, I will
undergo a medical and sign the
T
he Gunners have made
contact with Real
Madrid about a deal for
World Cup winner Sami
Khedira but the move has stalled
and the Blues have now moved for
the 27-year-old.
Chelsea is emerging as the front-
runner in the race to sign Sami
Khedira as it steps up plans to
reinforce its midfeld, Goal UK
reports.
The Blues have made contact with
Real Madrid about discussing a 25
million-euro deal for Khedira, who
has only a year remaining on his
contract with the Spanish giant.
Chelsea's move comes as Arsenal's
pursuit of the Germany World
Cup winner has stalled because
of his salary demands. Khedira
is believed to be pushing for a
250,000 euro-a-week salary plus
bonuses.

WOMEN FOOTBALL ON HIGH
A
three day football
tournament
organized by
the Standing
Committee of Women football
at the Liberia Football
Association (LFA) will get
underway today Friday at the
Antoinette Tubman Stadium
(ATS) in Monrovia.
Madam Ciata Bishop who is an
Executive Committee member
of the LFA confrmed that the
aim of the tournament is to
show a sign of appreciation
to the Minister of Youth and
Sports, Eugene Nagbe for his
ministry inclusion of female
football into the National
County Sports Meet.
Madam Bishop said four teams
are expected to take part in the
tournament and they include
Matilda Parker FC, Charles
Kuoh FC, and Antoinette
Weeks FC, Duncan Cassell FC.
The tournament opening game
will be played between Matilda
Parker FC and Charles Kuoh
FC on Friday and Antoinette
Weeks FC meets Duncan
Cassell FC on Saturday with
the winners from the two
matches meeting on Sunday in
the grand fnale.
Madam Bishop described the
inclusion of female football
into the National County
Sports Meet as a major step
forward and said she hopes that
it would bring more happiness
in the tournament.
E
motions that
gripped thousands
at the just ended
FIFA Brazil World
Cup were felt by the world.
In Brazil, 200 million people
wept as their pride was hurt
after the humiliating 7-1
drubbing in the semi-fnals by
eventual winners, Germany,
whose nationals are still
celebrating their win against
Argentina.
Though Liberia was not
among the elites, we are
lucky to be among the elites
of the Amputee soccer sector.
On August 9, 2014, Liberia,
the three-time African
Champions, will take on
Team USA at Soccerplex
in Germantown, Maryland,
USA, near Washington DC.
The African champions
will test their American
counterparts, as both nations
prepare to partake in the
10th Amputee World Cup
in Culiancan, Mexico from
November 30-December 8,
2014.
A dispatch from Mr. Duannah
Siryon, international
coordinator of Liberia
Amputees Federation said,
Liberians in the United States
are gradually getting excited
about the international
friendly match.We hope
the Liberian government
will embrace this friendly
invitation from Team USA,
Duannah said, there are
several arrangements being
made to take the team to
Liberian communities in the
USA to seek support for their
camping and trip to Mexico.
Duannah said Liberia being
triple champions of Africa
will have a lot to teach their
American friends.

10TH WORLD AMPUTEE CUP
LIBERIA SET FOR
USA BATTLE

Both teams will be going
for the 2014 Amputee World
Cup in Mexico, Duannah
said, and it will be nice to
see them both in a friendly
encounter.
In Monrovia, the news of
the Mexico World Cup has
excited the team, and they
have begun what many
considered as intensive
preparation.I have no doubt
that President Sirleaf is getting
excited about her team, said
a longtime follower of the
teams exploits, with her
support Liberia will be there
for the friendly match and
then be in Mexico.
The Liberia Amputee
team is the countrys pride
in international football.
Confrmed report indicates
that the government of
Zliberia, through the Ministry
of Youth and Sports, has
embarked on mobilization
campaign to facilitate the
nations pride to both the
friendly match and the world
cup in Mexico.
According to Mr. Siryon,
Team USA is also making
extensive preparation to
welcome the triple champ
for Africa and have received
approval for major local and
international media coverage
during the game. In addition
to the friendly game, Mr.
Siryon disclosed that the
22 men Liberia delegation
will visit few educational
institutions in order to attain
leadership training that make
the federation more effective.
It has also been confrmed
that Mr. Siryon is in close
discussions with the
Argentina Amputee National
Team for the possible staging
of another friendly match
in Liberian aim at raising
awareness and funds as part
of its mobilization efforts.
Already, Team Liberia is
in arrangement with the
Ministry of Health and Social
Welfareof Liberia to join the
Ebola awareness campaign
at various schools and
communities in and around
the country.
Anyone interested in
contacting the Liberia
Amputees Federation
leadership can do so by calling
or emailing Mr. Samuel
Eastman (Secretary General)
at 0886971759/0777129757
or laf2sse@gmail.com.
Omari Jackson (omarinush@gmail.com)
A. Macaulay Sombai, so mbai121@gmail.com
Four teams lock horns in three day tournament
We as lovers of women
football have long been wishing
for the inclusion of women
football into the county sports
meet and today our dream has
fnally come to reality and we
are very pleased to say thank
you to Minister Nagbe and all
those that stood by us when
we were advocating for this
success.
The Executive Committee
offcial said she hopes that the
inclusion of women football
into the 2014/2015 county
meet will help to give the
tournament a new taste and
total entertainment than ever.
She called on football
enthusiasts to show up at the
ATS to grace the occasion.
The winner from the
tournament is expected to walk
away with huge giant size
trophy.

www.frontpageafricaonline.com
Sports
FrontPage
PRICE L$40 VOL 8 NO.639 FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

10TH WORLD AMPUTEE CUP

LIBERIA SETFOR USA BATTLE

Friday, July 18, 2014 Edition

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