The government of Zimbabwe on Sunday dismissed allegations that it had been hiding a Rwandese fugitive wanted for alleged involvement in the 1994 genocide.

Reports emerged earlier this week that the body of Protais Mpiranya, who has been the subject of a 20-year manhunt, was found buried in an overgrown cemetery outside Harare under a false name, Ndume Sambao.

The body was exhumed last month at the request of United Nations investigators, and Mpiranya's identity was confirmed by DNA analysis on Tuesday.

Following the discovery, Zimbabwe was accused of having given the wanted fugitive a hiding place despite an international warrant for his arrest.

The U.N. International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) said in a report that Zimbabwean officials facilitated the entry of Mpiranya into the country at the height of his search.

The report noted that the fugitive had been in frequent contact during his stay with Zimbabwean officials in the then President Robert Mugabe’s regime.

In a statement released on Sunday, Zimbabwe's Foreign Minister Frederick Shava denied all the allegations, noting that the Zimbabwe government in fact was part of Mpiranya's search.

"The Government of Zimbabwe wishes to put on record that it met all its obligations under the international law. Zimbabwe fully cooperated with the UN Residual Mechanisms in its investigations of the Rwandese fugitive who was indicted in 2000 by the International Criminal Tribunal for his role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide," the statement read in part.

Shava in his statement listed ways in which the Zimbabwe government assisted in the investigations, including setting up and funding an Inter-Departmental Task Force and facilitating a visit by the UN prosecutor.

The IRMCT report noted that Mpiranya fell seriously ill from pulmonary tuberculosis in the second half of 2006 and was admitted to the West End Hospital in Harare under the alias Ndume SAMBAO. He underwent a bilateral pleural effusion in September 2006 but, despite treatment, died on 5 October 2006.

"After his death, Mpiranya's associates organized his funeral while his wife travelled to Harare from the U.K. to attend. On 17 October 2006, a private ceremony was held at a funeral home in Harare, attended only by his family and associates. He was subsequently buried in a cemetery outside of Harare under the name Ndume SAMBAO," the report said.