/ 8 March 2014

South Africa expels Burundi diplomat

South Africa Expels Burundi Diplomat

Burundi's foreign minister on Saturday said one of his country's diplomats had been expelled from South Africa, though the reason was not immediately clear.

The move comes after South Africa and Rwanda issued tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions on Friday amid a row over the attempted assassination of an exiled Rwandan general in Johannesburg.

"South Africa has expelled Jean-Claude Sindayigaya, the first secretary of the embassy of Burundi," Foreign Minister Laurent Kavakure told AFP. "We don't yet know the motive behind this decision."

A South African official confirmed the expulsion of the Burundian diplomat but declined to give details.

Sindayigaya left South Africa on Friday, Kavakure said.

"We are waiting to know more before reacting," he added. – Sapa-AFP