By Themis Hakizimana

KIGALI, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Rwanda denied allegations on Thursday from a U.N. expert panel that accused it and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of backing rebels in fighting in eastern DRC that drove 250,000 people from their homes.

The draft report, parts of which were seen by Reuters, says Rwandan army elements and some government officials helped recruit fighters to help renegade Congolese Tutsi General Laurent Nkunda.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Rosemary Museminali told a news conference in Kigali: "They really need to come out with evidence to show that Rwanda is in Congo, without just using pieces and bits and rumors and those kind of things and putting it together and calling it a report."

Nkunda's National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) has seized large tracts of North Kivu province since September. It declared a ceasefire before reaching the local capital Goma and called for talks with the Congolese government.

"We are not supporting CNDP. We are not sending forces, we are not sending arms," Museminali said.

"I think it is clear that CNDP actually gets its own munitions from the Congolese forces who have run away."

The U.N. expert panel's report was sent to members of a Security Council committee overseeing implementation of a U.N. arms embargo and asset freeze targeting rebel groups. The 15-nation council is expected to discuss it on Monday.

The report said the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, MONUC, had repatriated more than 150 Rwandans, including 29 children, between January 2007 and October 2008. Most had been recruited in Rwanda. The experts said they received "numerous reports" Rwandan army units deployed to support Nkunda's forces.

The experts also accused the Congolese army of supporting the Rwandan Hutu militia in eastern Congo which includes some Hutus accused of carrying out Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Both the Congolese and Rwandan governments deny supporting rebel groups.

About a quarter of a million civilians have been uprooted in fighting since the end of August alone. More than five million people have died since the beginning of a 1998-2003 war, which sucked in the armies of six neighbouring countries. (Writing by Daniel Wallis; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

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