Liberia has denied accusations by the government in Sierra Leone that it's behind the current rebel offensive which came within about thirty kilometres of the capital, Freetown, earlier this week.

A government spokesman, Milton Teejay, said Liberia was only interested in a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

The BBC West Africa correspondent says it's been known for some time that a number of Liberians are fighting with the rebels who are loyal to the ousted military government but clear evidence of official involvement has not been made available.

Meanwhile, Britain has evacuated more than eighty European Union nationals to Senegal; the United States has also urged its citizens to leave Sierra Leone.