Missing Ship Docks in Benin, No Immediate Sign of Child Slaves

After days of searching, officials boarded a ship suspected of transporting scores of child slaves from this West African country early Tuesday but found no clear sign of unaccompanied children.

A government minister said there has been a mix-up, and that another unidentified vessel is the slave ship. But U.N. officials called for caution, saying a government investigation was necessary to discover the truth.

U.N. and local officials originally thought the Nigerian-registered MV Etireno left Benin with the children. Social Protection Minister Ramatou Baba Moussa said the returning ship may have been confused with a second ship, whose name and location remain a mystery. She said it was not known whether any unaccompanied children were on board the Etireno, although two minibus loads of children were taken from the ship to a local shelter.

U.N. officials in Cotonou earlier speculated whether the Etireno's captain, a Nigerian with a criminal past, could have thrown his human cargo overboard. After the ship's arrival, the same officials said the truth would probably not be known until the government finished an investigation, including interviews with the passengers and crew.

"I don't know what to think," said Nicolas Pron, a senior official with the U.N. children's fund in Benin. "My main concern is that the kids are here and safe, and we will hear if that is the case."

Benin and U.N. officials said port authorities in both Gabon and Cameroon had reported turning away a ship with 100 to 250 child slaves aboard.

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