Story originally published on Ceasefire Liberia
By: Our Staff Reporter
Given the historic ties between Liberia and Haiti, the Liberian Government, during its first cabinet meeting for 2010, announced a contribution of US$50, 000 to the Government and people of Haiti, in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck the country on January 12, leaving thousands of people dead and displaced.
Liberia was established as the first black republic in Africa in 1847, while Haiti represents the first black independent nation in the Western Hemisphere, gaining independence in 1804, exactly 43 years before the latter’s independence.
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called on all religious institutions in the country to remember in their prayers victims of the earthquake in Haiti and dedicate their services to the country’s recovery.
A moment of silence was observed by the President and her cabinet in memory of those who lost their lives in the disaster, an Executive Mansion release said.
The 2010 Haitian earthquake has been described as a catastrophe that hit approximately 25 kilometer (or 16 miles) west of Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 at a depth of 13 km (8.1 miles).
The Cabinet is also launching an appeal to all those residing in Liberia, including business entities, and private institutions, to contribute to the relief effort in Haiti through a special fund that will be opened at a local bank.
Proceeds from the contribution will be transmitted to the people of Haiti through the Clinton Foundation. President Clinton, who serves as the United Nations Special Envoy for Haiti, is also spearheading efforts to provide immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors.
“The Government and people of Liberia express condolences to the Government and people of Haiti for this tragedy and to the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) for their loss,” the release noted.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) held a special Memorial Service Wednesday in Monrovia for fallen staffs of the United Nations (UN) in Haiti at the Mission’s Pan African Plaza Headquarters.
During the memorial service, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Ellen Margrethe Loj said the January 12 Haiti earthquake hit the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), the UN’s Haiti Mission. Madame Log disclosed that four staff, who had served under UNMIL were also killed.
The headquarters of MINUSTAH, in the Christopher Hotel located in the capital, collapsed and the Mission’s Chief, Hédi Annabi, his deputy, Luiz Carlos da Costa, and the acting police commissioner were confirmed dead.
They included the Special Representative of The Secretary-General, Hedi Annabi, Luiz Carlos da Costa who served as his deputy in Haiti and in Liberia prior to their Haitian assignment, Fred Wooldridge and Jerome Yap, da Costa’s personal assistant.
“Let us continue to remember them in our prayers and thoughts, and continue to join together to share memories and draw strength from each other”, Loj said.
Key international aid agencies have estimated that about three million people were affected by the earthquake while the Haitian Interior Minister, Paul Antoine Bien-Aimé, anticipated on last week that the disaster would claim between 100,000 and 200,000 lives. Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive announced that by Monday over 70,000 bodies had been buried in mass graves.