An appeal for Liberia, an African country affected by a serious humanitarian crisis, was made these days by the Irish Bishops Conference at its plenary meeting. 450 Irish soldiers have been in Liberia since 2003 as a UN force (15 thousand men) called to bring back peace and stability after about 15 years of civil war that caused over one million evacuees out of a population of just over three million. "The contribution given by our soldiers said mgr. Raymond Field, president of the Commission or Justice and Social Affairs of the Irish Bishops Conference is appreciated, but more must be done, by increasing the number of humanitarian plans run by aids organisations, such as Trocaire and Concern". The bishop mentioned that "in Liberia there are no electric or telephone networks, the roads are uneven and the railways do not work, but the main emergencies are those of health care and education. Liberia has an extremely high infant mortality rate, illiterates are 75%. The schools have been largely destroyed by the conflict. The country is totally dependent on foreign aids and specially on NGOs". This is why mgr. Field is asking the Irish Government to "include Liberia in the list of the neediest countries".
