Twenty-six-year-old Lucia stands confidently in front of a class of about 30 children aged between 12 and 18, asking them a series of direct questions about sexual practices, sexual transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Lucia (not her real name) belongs to Kindlimuka (meaning "wake up" in Ronga, a local language), a non-profit association of people living with, or supporting those with HIV/AIDS. Lucia is HIV-positive. She has participated in training to give lessons to pupils aged 13 to 18 in a UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) supported project, which began five years ago.

The UN-backed Special Court set up to try those considered most responsible for war crimes in Sierra Leone has begun carrying out investigations in Liberia: a team of investigators began searching residences of ex-president Charles Taylor on Friday. The team, headed by Chief Investigator Allen White, met strong resistance on Friday, when they tried to enter a house in Congo Town, the south-eastern suburb of the capital, Monrovia, where Taylor lived until he was forced into exile in August last year, clearing the way for the signing of a peace deal.

It is normally vibrant with pupils in classrooms and the yard, but the students and teachers are now at home. They will not return until a commission set up by the ministry of education to investigate the problems plaguing the school submits its report. The authorities in Gabon, which oil has made one of Africa's richest countries, closed the school a month ago following student unrest. "The Omar Bongo High School is sinking," said the minister, after participants informed him that there was prostitution in the school. The minister was informed that girls had sexual relations with teachers to get better grades and that expelled pupils offered bribes to remain in the school.