United Nations Crisis Manager for Guinea passes on

The United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) has announced the sudden death of Marcel Rudasingwa, Assistant Secretary-General and the Mission's Emergency Crisis Manager in Guinea.

A statement by UNMEER said Mr Rudasingwa, a Rwandan national, passed away suddenly from natural causes on Monday.

UNMEER paid glowing tribute to Mr Rudasingwa for the pivotal role he played in the organization's and the international community's response to the Ebola epidemic that has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The statement described him as an international civil servant of the highest order, committed to the principles of the United Nations and who, when asked about joining UNMEER, took up this important work without hesitation.

Prior to his service with UNMEER, Mr Rudasingwa worked with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for almost 20 years.

XINHUA