By Farayi Mungazi BBC Sport in Tunis

It is a matter of course, if not journalistic statute, that every story written about Rwanda is required to mention that ten years ago, Hutu fanatics instigated a 100-day genocide of nearly a million Tutsi and Tutsi sympathisers.

President Kagame has used football to unite the nation

Indeed, the tiny East African nation remains fragile to this day.

However the president of the Rwanda Football Association, Brigadier-General Caesar Kayizari, has dismissed suggestions that their squad for the Cup of Nations was picked with the country's delicate ethnicity in mind.

As football is one of the tools used by President Paul Kagame to unite a nation torn apart by years of conflict, suspicions abound that a deal was struck whereby places in Rwanda's squad for Tunisia 2004 would be split equally between Hutu players and their Tutsi colleagues.

But Brig-Gen. Kayizari told BBC Sport in Tunis that "there is no truth whatsoever" to reports that ethnic considerations determined the make-up of the squad.

He said: "That's a total lie and whoever is spreading those reports is ill-informed. Selection to the Rwanda squad is based on ability, not ethnicity.

Rwanda team profile

"Those things don't exist in our team and I'm sure that if you asked the players about it, they'd be very surprised, because they don't think about accidents that happened in the past."

Brig-Gen. Kayizari said the Amavubi, or Wasps, are only concerned about proving that they can mix it with the best when they make their debut at the showpiece of African football.

"Rwanda is now in the news for positive things, not the genocide which tarnished the image of our country," he added.

"Football will make people look at us in a different way and if our players do well, then I'm sure all images of the genocide will be erased from people's minds.

"We want our boys to perform and compete well, and the Rwandese people don't expect them to suffer humiliating defeats. We're confident our boys will rise up to the occasion."

Rwanda, who will feature in the tournament's opening game against the hosts on Saturday, arrived in Tunis on Tuesday.

Their first Nations Cup appearance at the fifth time of asking will also feature matches against Guinea and regional rivals, the DR Congo.

Despite the political history between the two countries, Brig-Gen. Kayizari said that his side would treat the game against the DR Congo just like any other fixture.

"I know that people expect our game with the DRC to be political because of the war we had with them, but there's nothing special attached to that match," he said.

"We respect the Congolese because they are our neighbours and have a very good team, but we'll be very happy to beat them, just like we'll also be happy to beat Tunisia or Guinea."