Rebels in Liberia have thrust to the outskirts of the capital Monrovia and the sound of heavy gunfire has sent hundreds of people fleeing to the centre, according to military sources and eyewitnesses.
"(Government forces) came under attack this afternoon after LURD rebels took a back route. They were repelled the first time. But later returned, with heavy fire," a military source told journalists tonight.
The attack came as President Charles Taylor said a coup plot sponsored by foreign powers had been foiled shortly after he was indicted for war crimes while attending peace talks in Ghana.
Aid workers said thousands of people fled in terror from their refugee camps on the outskirts of Monrovia and from the nearby town of Brewerville, 15 km (nine miles) from the capital's centre.
"Hundreds of people are leaving the Brewerville area and coming towards Monrovia, the situation is a mess," said one man who had just left the area.
"Women and children are walking with bundles of clothes on their heads and heading towards town."
LURD rebels have been fighting to topple Taylor since mid-2000. They were joined this year by a new rebel faction known as Model and the two groups now control 60 percent on Liberia's territory.
LURD have pushed to the doorsteps of Monrovia before but so far Taylor's forces have always driven them back.
"Because of the fighting ... thousands of people are fleeing camps just outside Monrovia and trying to reach the centre of town, despite the fact that security forces are trying to prevent them from doing that," said Ramin Rafirasme, a spokesman for the World Food Programme.
Taylor on yesterday attended the opening ceremony of peace talks with the rebels in Ghana, but news of his indictment for war crimes in nearby Sierra Leone plunged the talks into chaos.