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Ebola: Efforts to Contain Virus in Liberia Turns Violent as Citizens Try to Escape Quarantine | Photos

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Liberia Battles Spreading Ebola Epidemic
Liberia’s efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak from spreading across parts of West Africa, turned violent today Wednesday 20th August 2014.

It was a violent scene when angry young men hurled rocks and stormed barbed-wire barricades trying to break out of a neighbourhood that had been cordoned off by the government.

According to New York Times, soldiers repelled the surging crowd with live rounds, driving hundreds of young men back into the neighbourhood, a slum of tens of thousands in Monrovia known as West Point.

A 15-year-old teen Shakie Kamara lay on the ground near the barricade, his right leg apparently wounded by a bullet. “Help me”, he pleaded.

The National Police’s head of operations Lieutenant Col. Abraham Kromah arrived a few minutes later.

“This is messed up,” Kromah said looking at the teenager. “They injured one of my police officers. That’s not cool. It’s a group of criminals that did this. Look at this child. God in heaven help us.”

West Point is said to be a place affected greatly by the virus, and residents believe the government’s attempt at setting up an Ebola centre at a school there, is to dump the diseased.

This morning, the residents of West Point woke up to learn their entire area was under government quarantine.

The soldiers and police blocked roads in and out of the seaside neigbourhood as many tried to leave the area.

Liberia Battles Spreading Ebola EpidemicLiberia Battles Spreading Ebola EpidemicLiberia Battles Spreading Ebola Epidemic

Photo Credit: Getty Images/John Moore

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