Liberia's government and rebels accused each other this afternoon of sparking new fighting as US helicopters took to the air to help West African peacekeepers preparing to move into rebel areas under a peace deal.
Last week's accord officially ended Liberia's latest civil war but rebel and government forces say they are still fighting away from the capital Monrovia and security remains a problem for aid workers helping hordes of displaced people in the city.
Thousands of civilians fled towards Monrovia yesterday, reporting fresh gun and mortar fire on the way to the rebel-held second city of Buchanan, but today the main road was quieter.
Defence Minister Daniel Chea accused the main rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) of attacking government positions near the central city of Gbarnga, around 160 km northwest of Monrovia.
He said fighting was concentrated around the Baila river bridge over the St John River on the main road from Gbarnga to Ganta, 60 km (38 miles) further away from Monrovia.
But a senior LURD official said government troops had attacked rebel positions around Gbarnga since Thursday.
Caretaker President Moses Blah has made a tour of the region to cement last week's peace deal, designed to end 14 years of bloodshed in Liberia, the heart of a regional cycle of killing.
He apologised for Liberia's role in fomenting civil war in neighbouring countries and asked for help securing peace under an interim government to which he will hand over in mid-October.