Dear Editor,

Here is a topic I have touched on several times, according to an article in The Perspective "Al-Queda suspect hid in Liberia after the embassy attacks". I have always stated that Africa will become the new breeding ground for terrorists if the international community continues to ignore the African continent. Almost half of the African countries are governed by ruthless and greedy power hungry dictators, any terrorist organization can approach these dictators and offer them a few million dollars to put in their pockets to allow them to set up a training bases in a rural part of that continent and no one would suspect anything, because majority of the people have no access to radio, television or even printed news for that matter.

On the subject of the Liberian rebels still holding on to their weapons, I believe that the population has to be disarmed in order to establish rule of law for the long term, only law enforcement and the military should be armed.

Last I heard, there were 17 presidential candidates competing for the presidency of Liberia? What a complete joke, I guess the Bassa, Lorma, Vai, Kpelle, Gio and Mano tribes all have their candidates in mind. What’s the population of Liberia today, and what percentage is going to cast a vote? The Bassa organization had its annual conference in Atlanta this past weekend, the Lorma organization is scheduled to do the same I believe. Is this not the same sort of division that put such a strain on Liberia in the first place? We have approximately 6-7thousand Liberians in the Atlanta area, there are said to be 10 different Liberian churches.

We are at a crossroad where all Liberians should put their differences aside and work together for the upliftment of our country. The united nations is scheduled to leave Liberia after the 2005 elections, if we have nothing to prove to the united nations, let’s at least have something to prove to ourselves and our children and grand children.

Peace be unto my dear Liberian brother and friend Frederick j. Williams who was brutalized and later died in the custody of the Gwinnett County Sheriff's Department.

Thomas Awadjie, Atlanta GA