Stranded Refugee Ship Will Be Allowed to Dock

As a humanitarian gesture, Nigeria said it would allow a ship stranded off West Africa with 180 Liberian refugees on board to dock.

A Foreign Ministry statement deplored the plight of the Liberians, who are apparently fleeing violence in their homeland. The U.N. said they have been marooned on the Alnar for nearly two weeks after being denied entry by Ghana and Benin.

Benin officials apparently were apprehensive about the ship following the much-publicized case in April of a vessel suspected of carrying child slaves. It was unclear when the Alnar would reach Nigeria.

Fighting between Liberian government forces and rebels based in neighboring Guinea has displaced hundreds of thousands of people from both nations in recent months.