President Robert Mugabe has left Harare for the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, USA where he has been invited to attend a high level International Ebola Recovery Conference.

The Ebola haemorrhagic fever that devastated three West African countries since its outbreak left more than 11 000 people dead and affected more than 27 000 others.

President Mugabe, who chairs the African Union (AU) and SADC, is accompanied to New York by the First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe, Foreign Affairs Minister Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, Health and Child Care Minister David Parirenyatwa, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa, Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba and senior government officials.

UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon is hosting the International Ebola Recovery Conference as part of efforts to ensure the affected countries receive resources and the necessary support that they require to overcome the Ebola outbreak.

Heads of state from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the three countries most affected by Ebola, have been invited to the conference and President Mugabe has been invited as leader of the African continent.

On his departure, President Mugabe was seen off at the Harare International Airport by Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, cabinet ministers, service chiefs and several government officials.  Source: zbc