Liberia's Defence Ministry has confirmed reports of intense fighting since Friday between government forces and dissidents in the north and northwest of the country.

The European Union (EU) is going ahead with preparations to monitor Zimbabwe's presidential elections in March, despite the lack of a formal invitation from President Robert Mugabe, EU officials told IRIN on Monday.

A criminal racket on both sides of the border is helping illegal Zimbabwean immigrants cross into South Africa, a senior army officer told IRIN.

Two hundred and fifty thousand children under the age of five are living with the HIV/AIDS virus in Ethiopia, according to the ministry of health.