Burundi denies being Rwandan rebel 'rear base'

Burundi's secret services on Thursday denied the country was serving as a rear base for Rwandan Hutu rebels operating in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

"Burundi does not serve as the rear base for FDLR rebels or whoever else wants to destabilise Rwanda. Burundi is not helping and will never help a group that wants to destabilise our sub-region," secret services spokesman Telesphore Bigirimana told AFP.

He was responding to a report by UN experts to the UN Security Council detailing an international support network for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda rebels.

The experts said in the report that they had received "several credible reports and testimonies that Burundi is being used as a rear base for FLDR recruitment and support networks."

They said several ex-rebel combatants had told them of "at least several hundreds of FDLR recruits being recruited in Rwanda and infiltrated through Burundi with the assistance of local traders since 2005."

The report said the group of experts "obtained several testimonies that the FDLR maintain a relationship with General Adolphe Nshimirimana, Burundi's head of intelligence, as well as with top Burundian police officers."

Bigirimana denied any such contacts had taken place "because the head of the National Intelligence Service, General Adolphe Nshimirimana, does not have personal contacts with these people."

"We are in contact with the Rwandan intelligence services and they can confirm that we are not remotely involved in this traffic," the spokesman said.