More evidence of suffering in Guniea

The French ambassador to Guinea - where tens of thousands of people have fled fighting in the south - has said the risk of famine is enormous.

The diplomat, Denis Gauer, said after a visit to the region that he'd seen completely deserted and ruined towns, with corpses lying on the streets.

He said people had fled their homes without enough food.

In one case, he witnessed more than twenty thousand refugees crammed into the confined space of a school, where they had been staying for a week without any aid.

Mr Gauer said that almost everyone in three districts Guekedou, Kissidougou and Macenta had fled even though the harvest had not been gathered.

The area has been ravaged by fierce fighting between government troops and rebels launching attacks from neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service