Ambassador Recalled From Kenya For Calling Africans Monkeys

Dragos Tigau, Romania's ambassador to Kenya, has been recalled by the Romanian government after African diplomats accused him of calling African group members "Monkeys" at a conference in Nairobi.

The decision was made during a meeting between the Romanian government and African officials on Friday evening.

Romania stated in a statement that Tigau had been called to reinvestigate allegations.

"The Romanian Ambassador to Kenya should urgently return to Romania so that necessary procedures, including the determination of the internal measures to be taken," a statement seen by Nairobi Leo reads in part.

The Romanian government expressed sadness and apologized to all those affected.

Tigau was accused of using a monkey remark at an April 26 meeting at the UN headquarters.

Tigau's nation characterized his remarks as an exceptional incident that should not have an impact on ties between Romania and African countries.

"We express our hope that this isolated incident will not affect the deep relations between Romania and the African countries, especially considering that Romanian diplomacy considers the development of relations with Africa," the statement added.

They emphasized the importance of their relationships with African countries, which are founded on collaboration and mutual respect.

The Romanian government further stated that such behaviour does not reflect the institutional and human principles that drive Romania's diplomatic conduct.

The allegations had died down until Kenya's former Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Macharia Kamau, accused the ambassador of racism in a statement.