The Somali opposition grouping, Somali Reconciliation and Restoration Council (SRRC), on Friday urged the international community to step in and resolve once and for all the civil conflict that has blighted the war-ravaged country since 1991.

The Lutheran World Federation reports from Rwanda that tens of thousands of people fleeing a volcano near Goma, Congo, have made their way across the border into Rwanda seeking shelter in churches, schools and public buildings. Others are believed to have fled into the forests and along the shores of Lake Kivu. Some have already returned to their city to find lost loved ones.

International auditingfirms operating in southern Africa said an investigation into the assets of Robert Mugabe, president of Zimbabwe, and those of his associates would be strengthened by the co-operation of international donor agencies.

The police are the first targets of an "aggressive war" on public corruption that has been launched in Kenya. Mr Swaleh Slim's anti-corruption police unit chose the graft-prone traffic police department as its first stop. Graft fighting experts will assess the magnitude of the problem in the police department before they move to other government departments perceived to be dens of corruption.

In a letter to Justice Minister Amadou Ali, RSF asked for clarification following the sentencing of Georges Baongla, publication director of the weekly "Le Démenti", to five years' imprisonment. "Due process was seemingly not respected in this case.