Residents in the Liberian slum of West Point have reacted angrily after the government ordered the area be sealed off in a bid to try and contain the Ebola outbreak.

West Point is an extremely poor neighbourhood in Liberia's capital Monrovia, which the government has decided to seal off.
It is thought that anywhere between 60,000 and 120,000 people live in West Point and the government is fearful of the Ebola virus spreading quickly through the area.

But the decision to quarantine West Point has been met with anger by the local residents.

As the police and army moved in to seal off the slum, locals reacted violently throwing rocks and protesting against the blockade.

That reaction was subsequently countered by soldiers, who are reported to have fired live rounds into the crowds.
Resentment was already building in West Point after a local primary school was converted into a holding centre for Ebola patients.

But residents invaded the centre, angry that people from outside of West Point were apparently being brought in for treatment.Then, following orders from the president, Liberia's army and police moved in to block the roads and seal off the slum.

West Point is on the coast and the waterfront was also sealed off, with the coast guard stopping residents leaving by water.

The Associated Press reported that it had spoken to one resident who said that security forces were firing weapons into the air in an effort to disperse angry crowds.

Many locals are also angry with the government, who they believe has not done enough to protect them during the Ebola crisis.
It is estimated that the Ebola crisis has already claimed around 1,350 lives in West Africa. Liberia has been one of the worst affected countries with close to 600 fatalities.

There are fears that the disease could spread quickly if it is found in large suburban areas. So far, the outbreak has mostly been concentrated in rural areas in the affected nations of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The Times reported that WHO officials said fighting the virus in a slum will be more difficult because of the cramped conditions that the residents live in. 

The poor sanitation in West Point also causes problems regarding the ease with which Ebola can spread. Reports suggest that up to 250 cases of Ebola have been confirmed in the area surrounding Monrovia.

Residents angry at the curfew have tried on several occasions to break through the barriers but have been forced back by security personnel.