INTER PRESS SERVICE

Thousands of war-weary Liberians Tuesday took to the streets of the capital, Monrovia, to celebrate the signing of the much-awaited ceasefire aimed at ending the long-running civil war that has torn the West African country apart.

POPULATION-LIBERIA: More Refugees Flee into Sierra Leone

The fighting in Liberia has opened the floodgates for more refugees, including soldiers, to cross into Sierra Leone.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Relative Calm Returns to Monrovia

There is now a relative calm in besieged Monrovia after the government agreed to a truce in the weeklong fighting that sent up to 600,000 people - more than half the capital's population - on the run.

TRANSPORT-NIGERIA: Psychiatric Test for Traffic Offenders

A long stretch of vehicles is caught in a traffic jam on the busy Murtala Muhammed Way in Lagos, where desperate drivers struggle to wriggle out of the chaos to get home.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Foreigners Evacuated to French Warship

Between 500 and 800 foreigners were evacuated from Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, on Monday, as rebels seeking to overthrow President Charles Taylor resumed their fire-fight, according to diplomats.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Panic, as Rebels Advance Near the Capital

Rebels have entered the western suburbs of the capital Monrovia, as President Charles Taylor, who has been indicted by a U.N.-backed Special Court for war crimes, struggles to hold on to power.

ECONOMY: Nigeria Tightens the Noose on Fraudsters

Nuhu Ribadu is a tough police officer with a mission. Last week his men arrested 15 notorious fraudsters who have given Africa's most populous nation a bad name over the years.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: President Taylor ‘a Wanted War Criminal’ – Court

Charles Taylor, the first African head of state to be indicted by a U.N. court for war crimes, is a shrew political manipulator and survivor.

POLITICS-SIERRA LEONE: Crowds Pour in to View the Body of Notorious Warlord

Crowds have been pouring in at the Choitrams Hospital, in the west of the Sierra Leonean capital Freetown, to have a glimpse of a body believed to be that of rebel commander Sam Bockarie, commonly know as "Gen. Mosquito."

POLITICS-NIGERIA: Women Learn the ABC of Winning Elections

Women, who make up almost half Nigeria's population, have gained little in the April polls, despite the vigorous mobilisation and enlightenment campaigns by civil groups, according to women's groups.

POLITICS-NIGERIA: President Obasanjo Sworn-in for Second Term

President Olusegun Obasanjo took the oath of office for a second term in a ceremony held in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on Thursday.

RIGHTS-NIGERIA: Child Labour Still a Major Problem

Kadijat Alao moves from kiosk to kiosk hawking cigarettes, matches and biscuits at the national theatre complex in Lagos where artists and journalists hang out after work.

ENVIRONMENT-SENEGAL: Researchers Turn to Schools to Protect Rare Plants

Frustrated by years of fruitless campaigns, researchers are now turning to the last line of defence: schools - to protect Senegal's endangered medicinal plants.

POLITICS-LIBERIA: Ghana Hosts Talks to End Civil War

Liberia's belligerents will meet in Ghana next week for the much-heralded peace talks designed to end the country's three-year-old civil war.

POLITICS-NIGERIA: Tight Security Ahead of Obasanjo’s Inauguration

Soldiers have been deployed to strategic locations and entry points to Abuja, Nigeria's capital, ahead of President Olusegun Obasanjo's inauguration on Thursday, a government official told IPS on Tuesday.

REFUGEES-GUINEA: No Place Like Home

By Saliou Samb

Sheltered only by tents in the sweltering heat, Maika Kourouma describes life in Laine Refugee Camp as a nightmare.

POLITICS-NIGERIA: Threat to Disrupt President Obasanjo’s Inauguration

As Africa's most populous nation prepares for the inauguration of President Olusegun Obasanjo this week, a coalition of political parties is threatening to hold mass demonstrations to coincide with the event.

RIGHTS: Child Labour Thrives in Benin

Eighteen-year-old Gnoulla Yempabou started as a farmhand in cotton fields here, when he arrived from neighbouring Burkina Faso a few years ago.

POLITICS: Broke, Guinea-Bissau May Postpone Legislative Elections