Fighting reported in central province

Fighting was reported on Tuesday in Burundi's central province of Gitega between Hutu rebels and government troops trying to block their infiltration from Tanzania, army spokesman Col Augustine Nzabampema told IRIN on Tuesday.

"The rebels that have come from Tanzania continue to advance despite their losses," he said.

The fighting, in the Commune of Bugendana, against the Forces pour la defence de la democratie, follows reports by Radio Burundi that the army launched an operation on Sunday to hunt down the rebels in Gitaza and Magara, some 30 km south of the capital, Bujumbura. The fighting closed the 73-km section of National Highway 3 that runs along Lake Tanganyika south to Rumonge, Radio Burundi reported on Monday.

Reiterating a charge on Saturday by Burundi Defence Minister Cyrille Ndayirukiye, Nzabampema said Tanzania was providing the rebels with materiel, logistical aid, and training. Infiltration, he said, was via the lake and across the River Maragarazi that borders the two countries. Rebels were now able to walk across sections of the river, he added, because of the dry season.

Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Jakaya Kikwete has dismissed the Burundian claim as "laughable", noting that a huge Burundi refugee population burdened the country.