Diplomatic Briefing
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Newsline: South Africa expels Burundi diplomat
Burundi’s foreign minister said one of his country’s diplomats had been expelled from South Africa, though the reason was not immediately clear. The move comes after SA 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 said. “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.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/South-Africa-expels-Burundi-diplomat-20140308-13
Newsline: U.S. ‘Dedicates’ New $133 Million Embassy in Bujumbura
The State Department announced the dedication of a new “environmentally-sustainable” embassy in Bujumbura, Burundi. Occupying a 10-acre site near the city center in Kigobe, the $133 million multi-building complex provides a state-of-the-art, environmentally-sustainable workplace for embassy personnel. The new facility incorporates numerous sustainable features to reduce operating costs and conserve resources, most notably an extensive system of over 950 photovoltaic panels; a white “cool” roof and the use of architectural shading of the building to reduce solar heat gain and energy cooling costs; and on-site treatment of wastewater that is reused for irrigation.
Newsline: DRC MP seeks asylum in SA embassy
A top opposition figure in the Democratic Republic of Congo wanted by the government on treason charges is seeking asylum in the South African embassy in neighbouring Burundi, a spokesman for the Congolese government said. The government accuses Roger Lumbala, a Congolese MP and former rebel, of helping Rwanda support a rebellion in eastern Congo that has deepened political divisions in the capital Kinshasa. The worsening political chaos threatens to undermine President Joseph Kabila’s ability to push through reforms in the country – a potential mining and oil giant – after his re-election in flawed polls last year. Lambert Mende, a spokesman for the Congolese government, said Lumbala had been trying to gain asylum at the South African embassy in Bujumbura, the Burundian capital. Negotiations were under way to get Lumbala transferred to Kinshasa, Mende said, but there had been no response from South Africa. Officials from South Africa and Burundi were not immediately available for comment.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/09/10/mp-seeks-asylum-in-sa-embassy
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