Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) — Burundi's foreign minister says the country's ambassador to Belgium has been told to return home amid diplomatic tensions related to political violence in the central African nation.
Alain Aime Nyamitwe told The Associated Press on Saturday that Burundi's embassy in Brussels remains open despite the recalling of Ambassador Jeremie Banigwaninzigo.
Nyamitwe says relations with former colonizer Belgium "are not really good. We have called our ambassador to assess relations between the two countries."
Burundi's government has persistently accused Belgium of backing the exiles who opposed President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision last year to seek a third term. Hundreds of people have been killed in political tensions since then.
Many protests have been staged outside the Belgian embassy in Burundi by demonstrators who accused Belgium of supporting opponents of Burundi's government.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
