Frontline human rights activist and former Chairman of the Truth Reconciliation Commission(TRC) has written US President Joseph R. Biden Jr on behalf of the people of Liberia and his institution, the International Justice Group, appealing for urgent assistance to combat the deadly COVID-19 Pandemic which is on the rampage, killing the people and destroying the land.
“Instead of the traditional and customary saturdays, every day is a day of funeral and burial in liberia. Our people are dying. Covid- 19 is ravishing the nation. The healthcare system is greatly stressed and ill-prepared to mount an effective response to the covid-19 epidemic threat. it is stressed to the point of collapse, if it has not collapsed already. Please, help us, Mr. President, we need your urgent help. the sooner, the better”, Mr. Verdier wrote in the letter.
Mr. Verdier painted a rather bleak future of the country going through this trying time without the much needed resources to battle the rapid spread of the virus that has taken a lot of toil on the country and its people.
“More will die, eventually if nothing is done to combat the rising infection rate of the covid-19 virus in our motherland. many are infected without knowing it. We are a nation of the walking dead. The limited hospital facilities are overwhelmed, there are no beds, people are “pronounced dead on arrival” and community burial is the norm, as “funeral homes” are declining new clientele. A healthcare crisis is rapidly transforming into a social – economic crisis of immeasurable proportions”.
He narrated how Liberia’s recent past has been associated with unwarranted death and mayhem starting from the estimated 250,000 innocent lives that were lost during the civil war that was fought between 1989 to 2003 and the ebola crisis of 2014 to 2015 that took the lives of a record number of 4, 809 persons. He said in both occurrences, it took the leadership of the United States of America and the global support of the international community to rescue Liberia from itself.
“This is another sos call, Mr President, please help us.Liberia needs all the help it can get, from you, mr. president. Without your help, a critically significant portion of the illing, impoverished and dejected population of Liberia will be wiped out by the deadly covid-19 pandemic, Mr President ”, Mr. Verdier said.
He further told President Biden that there is neither a rapid response plan in place, nor a strategic plan to educate, immunize and build the nation’s defense mechanism, institutions and infectious disease infrastructure that will mitigate the current spread, prevent more deaths and guard against future pandemic or infectious disease outbreak in liberia.
“We need your urgent kind assistance, mr president, and the continued good will of the american people to reverse our misfortune and prevent a catastrophe of the gravest proportion, yet in liberia; please, Mr. President, please intervene and save our people and country”
“Please intervene and help us, mr. president. Without your help and the support of american people, the people of Liberia will eventually perish. We need your help, support, and intervention so desperately”, the human rights activist concluded his letter.
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