RIYADH: Sierra Leone will appeal to Saudi Arabia to lift the Haj restrictions imposed on its nationals, said an official of that country, citing the recent WHO statement that the Ebola virus was under control in the country.

“A total of 2,000 pilgrims will come for Haj this year if we succeed in convincing the Saudi authorities to lift the suspension order,” Sierra Leonean Embassy spokesman Mohammed B. Jalloh told Arab News on Friday.

Sierra Leone, along with Liberia and Guinea, has been banned from sending pilgrims to perform Haj this year because the countries have been hit by Ebola.

Jalloh said that the embassy will send its request for lifting the suspension after the inauguration of a multi-billion dollar project at the Suez Canal in Egypt.

“Sierra Leonean President Ernest Bai Koroma will attend the inauguration. Embassy officials will also attend, but once they arrive back from Egypt, we will send our letter to the Ministry of Haj requesting for the lifting of the suspension,” Jalloh said.

Saudi Arabia had earlier extended $35 million as technical assistance to the three countries to end the epidemic. The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has also given $300,000 to Sierra Leone as technical assistance to contain the disease.

Jalloh said the decision against Sierra Leone and the two other countries was made on the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO), quoting Haj Minister Bandar Al-Hajar. “However, WHO recently issued a report saying that there are signs that the incidence of Ebola has leveled off in Sierra Leone,” said

There have been 20,747 cases since the outbreak of the disease early last year and 8,235 people have died so far in the three countries.