Oxfam's reaction to President Obama's decision to pull troops out of West Africa

Published: 11th February 2015

Responding to President Obama's decision today to pull out of West Africa all but 100 US troops by the end of April, Tariq Riebl, Oxfam's Ebola progam manager in Liberia, said:

"The decline in new Ebola cases is good news and it makes sense to withdraw troops, but the fight's not over yet. As a single case could still spark another flare up, we need to stay vigilant and support people in affected countries until West Africa reaches zero new cases.

"What's now needed to tackle Ebola is close working with communities so they understand how the disease is spread, can identify symptoms and get to treatment centers early - Oxfam will continue its work in Sierra Leone and Liberia to support this."

"Ebola has also devastated economies and already weak health systems. The international community must not walk away after the outbreak is over, but make it a global priority to help affected countries fully recover, with cash to help families eat, investment in jobs and budget support for health, water, sanitation and education."

Notes to editors

Last week Oxfam called for a massive post-Ebola 'Marshall Plan' to help affected countries rebuild their shattered economies, tackling three areas of acute need.

Contact information

Melanie Kramers, Oxfam GB, Ebola Response media coordinator
mkramers1@oxfam.org.uk
Liberia +231770563329
Skype: melaniekramers

For updates, please follow @Oxfam.

The public can donate to Oxfam's Ebola Response.

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