Liberia Lifts UN Travel RestrictionsLiberian Authorities have lifted a travel ban that barred UN employees to the West African nation's capital, according to a report reaching here on Thursday.The report quoted the World Food Program (WFP) as saying that the ban, lifted late Wednesday, restricted the UN employees, aid workers and diplomats from traveling farther than Liberia's main airport, 45 kilometers east of Monrovia, capital of Liberia. WFP, the food aid organization of the United Nations, said the ban was threatening critical food relief operations throughout the country. WFP delivers food to about 280,000 people, including 35, 000 Sierra Leonean refugees and 25,000 internally displaced Liberians. Liberia initially announced the restrictions on May 11, just days after the United Nations slapped sanctions on the West African country to stop the export of diamonds and prevent Liberian officials from traveling abroad. The sanctions were imposed to punish Liberia for supporting Sierra Leone's rebels, who have terrorized their own country for more than a decade. |
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