By Joseph Lamin Kamara in Freetown and Mohamed T. Massaquoi in Pujehun
Sierra Leone is yet to reopen its land border with Liberia since it tightened security measures regulating movements between the two countries, following the outbreak of the Ebola disease, officials said Tuesday.
This followed reports that Liberia opened its land border with the country on Sunday, after closing it for about six months in response to the same epidemic.
“I’m sure there are consultations, perhaps at State House,” Deputy Minister of Information Theo Nicol told Politico. “Once that decision is taken, we’ll announce it.”
Nicol said there was no statement yet from government and so the border was considered still closed. He added that the country’s security agency would decide along with the National Ebola Response Centre (NERC) whether or not to open the border.
“Every country has rights to open its border or not,” the minister stated.
Actually, Sierra Leone never officially closed its borders with Liberia and Guinea, the two other Mano River Union-member countries worst hit by the epidemic. But there have however been screening measures at border points and travel restrictions especially between Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The restrictions came when Liberia shut down most of its border crossing points in July in an attempt to halt the spread of the Ebola virus after it had lost at least 660 people to the disease.
Sierra Leone recorded its first Ebola case in May when the deadly virus spilled over from Guinea into Liberia before it finally struck through Kailahun on the eastern border with Liberia. Since then, according government figures as of Tuesday, the country has recorded over 8,289 cases of infections with more than 3,095 deaths.
Meanwhile, Kailahun and Pujehun has recently recorded considerable decrease in new cases leading to lower infection rates across the country, though the country’s travel restrictions with Liberia remain in force in Jendema in the Pujehun district.
The government has announced that it will reopen schools and other learning institutions in March, following the “success” so far in regulating the flow of infections to mostly teen numbers in the last few weeks.
Government Spokesperson Abdulai Bayraytay said there had always been movements between Liberia and Sierra Leone, despite effective surveillance system. He lamented that the country had lost more than Le900 million as a result of international travel restrictions.
Bayraytay said Sierra Leone had opened vehicular traffic to ensure that it did not “isolate” other countries.
Mano River unity
On the 15th of February, President Alpha Conde of Guinea, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Minister Charles Kofi DIBY representing President Alassane Quattara of Ivory Coast, and President Ernest Bai Koroma rededicated their efforts at an Extraordinary Summit in the Guinean Capital Conakry to eradicate Ebola in 60 days, effective 15 February.
The three leaders signed a joint communiqué in which they said they had recognized efforts by member states and the international community in their struggle to tackle the Ebola virus. They noted that those supporting efforts had resulted in the decline of Ebola cases and deaths in their countries.
The summit devised a plan to achieve zero Ebola cases, putting special emphasis on prevention control, surveillance and cross border engagements.
At the summit, the Mano River Union states urged their international partners to recommit their efforts in eradicating the Ebola epidemic.
The leaders also called “on the International Community to provide direct budget support and debt cancellation for the affected countries.”
Frustration and fear
Meanwhile, in Pujehun some community leaders have been eager to see the borders with Liberia re-opened soon. They say their livelihoods have been hindered greatly as trade has been interrupted by the emergency measures.
“The government of Sierra Leone has been very much slow to react to the Liberian government on the reopening of the international border,” said Sadiq Silla, Chairman, Pujehun District Council.
He said cross border trade had been the source of living for people in Sorogbeima and Makpele chiefdoms, which sits on the border with Liberia.
Hajie Commander Sheriff, youth chairman for Sorogbeima Chiefdom, said they were happy that Liberia had opened its border and they were also calling on the Sierra Leone government to make “immediate move” to re-open its side of the border.
Sheriff said they “have more usage with Liberia [than Sierra Leone] in terms of transaction.”
The Pujehun District Ebola Response centre, meanwhile, fears complacency in tackling the epidemic. Its coordinator, Alie Bao, said there were “over 50 illegal crossing points” with Liberia, where Police Media Officer Mohamed Mansaray said in January that they lacked enough security personnel to control.
“This is the time we have to strengthen our surveillance pillar as Ebola does not need complacency,” laments Bao. “With me alone, I have contrary view to the border reopening because Liberia has always been under-reporting their Ebola cases.”
Bao added that on Monday a huge number of people from Liberia attempted to cross over to Sierra Leone, but that his team returned them because they had no “memo from our own government to reopen the border, though we did not officially close it.”
© Politico 25/02/15
