Uganda denied that Rwanda's envoy to India who deserted his post was in the country, contrary to Kigali's claims he had fled to the east Africa state.

Former army chief of staff Lieutenant-General Faustin Kayumba Nyamwasa had been "questioned over certain serious criminal activity," before abandoning his duties, Rwanda's foreign ministry said.

"The information we have is that General Kayumba is not in Uganda," Patrick Guma, Uganda's foreign ministry spokesman, told AFP.

"What we hear, but we are yet to confirm, is that he is in another country," he added without disclosing the name of the third country.

Nyamwasa, who was back in Rwanda for an annual ambassadors' retreat when he fled, is one of nine officials against whom a French anti-terrorist judge issued arrest warrants in 2006.

The warrant is likely to limit the number of countries in which he can seek refuge.

Prior to being sent to India, Nyamwasa, whose background is in military intelligence, was a powerful and respected figure in Kigali.

In the past, Rwanda and Uganda have played host to each other's dissidents

By SAPA