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JULY 24,1997 AUGUSTA FOCUS
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AFRICA
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EPORT SEEEEBRREEREN
BENIN
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Five arrested in
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Benin for allegedly
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trafficking in children
COTONOU, Benin
(AP) Five people have been ar ested for trying
to send 90 young people out of Benin to be sold as
slaves, police said Saturday.
The slavers were about to load the children
and young adults into buses to be driven to the
neighboring West African nation of Gabon when
police moved in Thursday, authorities said. The
captives ranged in age from 13 to 25.
Already thisyear, authoritieshave intercepted
more than 700 young people being sent abroad
for sale into forced labor. The traffickers gener
ally are from Benin or neighboring Nigeria,
police say.
Poor parents often sell their children for S2O to
SBO, according to authorities. The children are
subsequently forced to work without pay as
household servants or as street vendors.
Algerian army kills 100
Muslimmilitants, reportsays
TIPAZA, Algeria
(AP) Algerian government security forces
killed about 100 Muslim militants during a raid
on a clandestine meeting south of the capital,
reports said today.
French LCI television said the raid on the
Armed Islamic Group, the most feared militant
wing, occurred in the rugged Attatba region
near the town of Tipaza.
Residents in Tipaza denied any knowledge of
such a raid in this coastal town 60 miles south
west of Algiers. They spoke to The Associated
Press, but refused to be named for fear of
reprisals.
The raid also was reported in Monday’s edi
tion of Algiers’ French-languageL ’Authentique,
anewspaper considered to have sources close to
the government. ‘ ;
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Liberian election favors
Taylor, rival claims fraud
By Tina Susman
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
MONROVIA, Liberia
Liberia’s chief warlord took a seemingly
insurmountable lead today with more thana
third of presidential ballots counted, but his
gefl rival complained of widespread voting
ud.
The allegations by Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf,
challenging the apparent landslide victory of
warlord Charles Taylor, dimmed hopes for a
smooth transition from seven years of civil
war to peaceful democracy in this West Afri
can nation.
International observers have praised
Saturday’s election as virtually without
glitches and said they received no reports of
irregularities. On Monday, the Independent
Elections Commission said results from 684
of the 1,890 polling sites gave Taylor almost
66 percent of the vote compared to 15.9 per
cent for Johnson-Sirleaf. None of the other 11
candidates received more than 4 percent.
Thefirst preliminary results that began trick
ling in Sunday were enough to prompt sponta
neous celebrations from Taylor’s supporters
and anger from Johnson-Sirleaf.
“We believe if the vote was free and fair, we
would have won these elections,” she said at the
headquarters of her Unity Party minutes after
carly results were announced on national radio.
Johnson-Sirleaf alleged that West African
peacekeepingsoldiersstationed at pollingbooths
to safeguard them and assist voters intervened
to cast ballots for people, or told them whom to
vote for.
At some polling stations, she said fighters
loyal to one of the country’s former warring
factions surrounded voting booths and refused
to give voters privacy.
In at least one voting station, she said there
were more ballots counted than voters regis
tered, indicatingballot-stuffing. Johnson-Sirleaf
alsosaid peacekeepingsoldiers beat Unity Party
observers who tried to object.
The election, the first since 1985, followed
seven yearsof civil war started by Taylorin 1989
when he launched an assault against the dicta
torship of President Samuel Doe.
Doe was toppled and executed in 1990, but the
war continued among several factions until
warlordssigned a peace deal last year and set the
stageforelections. Johnson-Sirleaf’sallegations
raised fears that Taylor’s wartime rivals also
’ k. < o
{ L TN e
i Ve R
Liberian Presidential candidate and
warlord Charles Taylor arrives at a
poiling center before voting Saturday
July 19, 1997. A dozen candidates,
including three faction leaders who
have fought a seven year civil war in
Liberia, are running for office in the
first democratic elections since 1985.
(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
might object to the results and return to vio
lence.
Election officials said they were unaware of
wrongdoingat thepollsand hadyettorecuivean
official complaint.
The United Nations Observer Mission in
Liberia, whichhad 317 observersat pollingsites,
deemed the election “satisfactory and in confor
mity with international standards.”
Both Taylor and Johnson-Sirleaf preached
peace and reconciliation, words most Liberians
have heard before but rarely seen.
Taylor bankrolled his campaign with pro
ceeds from years of illicit dealing in diamond,
rubber and timber during the war, when his
faction controlled some of Liberia’s most re
source-filled territory.
Johnson-Sirleaf, who received an MBA at
Harvard, spent the past five years as the United
Nations Development Program’s Africa direc
tor,basedin New York, and previously had high
level positions withthe World Bank and Citibank.
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Where shopping is a pleasure
Teacher fights back
From page one
members as stipulated in the
teacher’s handbook. Ms. McGhee,
however, responded by changing
Ms. Reid’s course load and threat
ened her with dismissal if she did
not take the necessary courses
needed to teach the modified
courseload, according to Ms. Reid.
All of Ms. Reid’s college prep
courses were removed. Subse
quently, she wasinterviewed about
the grievances by a school admin
istrator and was promised that
her college prep courses would be
restored, but that never happened.
When shedidn’t receive any kind
of report, she asked for legal assis
tance from the Georgia Associa
tion of Educators. After the GAE
interceded on her behalf, she met
with Dr. Larke, who also promised
action. But when she reported to
school in September, not only had
her course load not been rein
stated, she said, but it was worse
than expected. Every college prep
course had been removed and Ms.
McGhee had recommended she go
through an assessment process.
Convinced that she was being ha
rassed, she hired attorney Brian
Watkins and pressed for relief
through the proper channels.
In September, 1996, she wrote
directly to school board member
Ken Echols requesting a hearing.
Mr. Echols was serving as board
president at the time. Nothing
happened.
Ms. Reid then wrote to the Pro
fessional Practices Committee in
October 1996 asking for an inves
tigation into the matter. They
promised to visit Augusta in Feb
ruary 1997 to investigate. Mean
while, the harassment by Ms.
McGhee continued unabated, Ms.
Reid said.
On February 10, Ms. Audrey
Reid of the PPC came to town and
interviewed teachers. That report
is still pending.
In March, Ms. McGhee filed dis
crimination complaint with EEOC.
On April 16, she received a letter
stating her contract would not be
renewed, but no reason was given.
It was only after she filed suit for
unlawful dismissal, that she re
ceived correspondence that she was
being fired mainly for insubordi
nationand incompetence. Ms. Reid
contends the only poor evaluation
she ever received was from Ms.
McGhee and those were placed in
her personnel file without her
knowledge, she said.
A hearing scheduled for state
court was blocked when the school
system had the case moved to fed
eral court. In federal court, the
judge would not hear the case un
til he was convinced that Ms. Reid
had exhausted every other avenue.
The school system argued that
things could be worked out — Ms.
Reid charges that they lied to the
judge. :
Last month, the school attorney
told Mr. Watkins that Ms. Reid
could get her job back, but she
would be moved to “ablack school.”
Noneof the previousissues were
addressed, so Ms. Reid rejected
the offer.
“I would not make a deal with
these corrupt administrators, I
wanted a full and open hearing —
not my job back. Every time a
teacher makes a complaint, the
administration and the principal
conspire to make it seem like it is
the teacher who is at fault. I've
had enough,” Ms. Reid said.
Sheisdemanding, not only rein
statement, but she wants to be
returned to Westside, she wants
the demand for her assessment
thrown out, she wants her college
prep courses restored, she wants
theunsigned evaluations removed
from her personnel file, and she
wants monetary compensation for
stress and harassment.
“I may lose my job, but by the
time I get through talking to 20-
20, Prime Time, and 60 Minutes,
I’'m not going to be the only one
out of a job,” she said.
Ms. Reid still wants a hearing,
but she was informed that she
could not get one until August.
School starts again on August 14.
In an unrelated matter, Ms.
McGhee was demoted to the assis
tant-principal level and trans
ferred from Westside!