British training force in Sierra Leone

A new contingent of British troops has begun arriving in Sierra Leone to training the local army.

The troops will stay behind while the bulk of British soldiers already in the country begin pulling out next week.

The new troops will help train the army for its fight against the rebels of the Revolutionary United Front, which still holds a large part of the country.

Earlier, thousands of people have been fleeing from fighting in the north of Sierra Leone.

They left the city of Makeni after a government helicopter gunship dropped leaflets warning of an impending offensive against the rebels.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service