Liberian opposition parties have called on the government to heed a recent call by the West African states economic community (ECOWAS) for an immediate ceasefire saying that Liberians preferred "ballots not bullets" as a way of attaining state power.

Fighting has been going in northwestern Liberia over the past few days, a diplomatic source in the capital Monrovia told IRIN on Friday. "There were reports today [Friday] that fighting was [still] going on in Suehn-Mecca, which is 70 km from Monrovia," the source said. "The situation is rather hard to ascertain. Most certainly there has been displacement but it is very difficult to know how many or where they could be," he added.

The U.N. refugee agency has said Liberians continue to flee to neighboring Guinea to escape fighting in their country. The agency also said it is concerned about displaced people inside Liberia where the conflict makes access extremely difficult.

West African countries are considering creating a peacekeeping force under the auspices of their economic community (ECOWAS) to intervene in Liberia if negotiations between the government and rebels fail, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal said on Friday.

Panic gripped Liberia's capital, Monrovia, this week as the sound of approaching gunfire sparked fears that fighting between rebels and President Charles Taylor's forces was drawing near.