Dakar - Regional humanitarian hub Senegal
said on Friday it had blocked a regional UN
aid plane from landing and was banning all
further flights to and from countries affected
by Ebola, potentially hampering the
emergency response to the epidemic.
A number of aid agencies have their regional
headquarters in politically stable Senegal.
Both medical charity MSF and the United
Nations, which are leading efforts to contain
a West African Ebola epidemic that has killed
at least 1 350 people, had planned to
operate regional flights from the country.
The World Health Organisation has
repeatedly said it does not recommend travel
or trade restrictions for countries affected
by Ebola, saying such measures could
heighten food and supply shortages.
"We have strengthened our protection
strategy by suspending services that link us
to countries affected by Ebola since
yesterday," said Senegal's tourism and air
transport minister, Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr.
Senegal's southern land border with Guinea
had also been shut, he said.
Read more: news24
