Burundi military officials have been quoted as saying they killed sixty ethnic Hutu rebels in an offensive close to the capital Bujumbura.

A senior army officer told Reuters news agency the rebels' positions were being successfully destroyed.

On Tuesday seven opposition parties said they would leave peace talks in Arusha if immediate agreement was not reached to stop the fighting around Bujumbura.

The fighting began last month when the rebels attacked two Bujumbura suburbs, killing almost forty people.