Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is the latest African leader to defend the World Health Organization (WHO) and its head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus against attacks by US President Donald Trump.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that the WHO was “very China-centric” yet it is “largely” funded by the US.
He warned that he could stop funding the global health organisation.
Earlier AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat had defended the Ethiopian WHO chief and Mr Kagame backed this up.
“Totally agree, and asking this: Is it Dr Tedros, WHO, China… under attack or all of them together?”:
Namibia’s President Hage Geingob also supported Dr Tedros, the first African to head WHO, calling him a “true flag bearer of multi-lateralism when global solidarity has become critical”.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation on Wednesday pleaded for global unity in fighting the coronavirus, following US President Donald Trump’s stinging attack on its handling of the pandemic.
As the WHO prepares to mark 100 days today since it was first notified of the outbreak in China, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus hit back at accusations that it had been too close to Beijing.
Tedros urged the United States to join with China in combating the disease rather than indulging in a blame game, as he issued a stern defence of the WHO’s management of the pandemic.
“The United States and China should come together and fight this dangerous enemy,” Tedros told a virtual press briefing in Geneva.
“The focus of all political parties should be to save their people. Please don’t politicise this virus.
“If you don’t want many more body bags, then you refrain from politicising it,” the WHO chief argued, before adding later: “It’s like playing with fire.”
Citing the death toll and number of infections, Tedros implored: “For God’s sake… is this not enough?”
The WHO was deemed too alarmist when it faced the H1N1 epidemic in 2009 but five years later it was accused of dragging its feet in declaring an emergency over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed more than 11,000 people.
Now the agency has been accused of delaying sounding the alarm over COVID-19 for fear of offending Beijing, for waiting too long to declare the outbreak a global pandemic and for failing to coordinate a coherent international response.
Tedros has been giving thrice-weekly virtual press conferences in a bid to be open about how the organisation is dealing with the pandemic.
On Wednesday, in a highly unusual turn, Ethiopia’s former health and foreign minister spoke out for the first time about the personal attacks aimed at him, including racial slurs and a death threat, during the crisis.
“I don’t give a damn,” Tedros said.
“I am a very proud black person or negro. I don’t care about being called even negro; I am.
“When the whole black community was insulted, when Africa was insulted, then I don’t tolerate,” he said, referring to suggestions last week from two scientists about the continent’s suitability as a vaccine testing ground. – Agency Report.
