"Last week two soldiers who committed some offences in Rwanda crossed over to Uganda asking for asylum," army spokesman Major Shabaan Bantariza told AFP.

"We don't know what they did in Rwanda, but we understand that they were arrested in Rwanda, detained and when they were released, they ran away to Uganda," he said, adding that both soldiers in question were privates.

"We are going to hand them over to UNHCR either today or tomorow " Bantariza said, noting that Uganda has no extradition treaty with Rwanda.

His comments came amid rumors in the Democratic Republic of Congothat several high-ranking Rwandan military officers had fled to the DRC and Uganda fearing arrest and prosecution on unspecified charges.

Neither DRC or Ugandan officials could confirm the speculation although on Thursday in Kigali, Rwandan Defense Minister General Marcel Gatsinzi said the the country's army spokesman had been relieved of his duties.

Gatsinzi told AFP that spokesman Patrick Karegeya had been removed from his position over the weekend for "military indiscipline" but declined to discuss the nature of the allegations.

It was not clear whether the flight of the two Rwandan privates was related to Karegeya's sacking.

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