Burundi has expelled a Rwandan diplomat, as tensions between the two East African countries intensify.

Though the reason for the expulsion is not clear, the two countries have been locked up in a diplomatic row which has been on for several months.

The expelled diplomat — Desire Nyaruhirira, a first minister councillor at the Rwandan Embassy in Burundi — has served the mission for the last ten years.

Mr Nyaruhirira was not in Burundi when he was expelled.

The Burundian authorities also expelled several Rwandan traders in Kayanza, a city located in northern Burundi, heightening the diplomatic tension.

Kigali is yet to officially respond on the expulsion.

“What I can confirm is that the envoy has been expelled. The grounds of the expulsion remain the same,” a highly placed Rwanda official told The EastAfrican.

In Burundi, the government had not also issued a statement about the expulsion of the diplomat leaving many people guessing.

The expulsion of the Rwanda diplomat comes at a time when tension between the two countries has been building in the past few months with Bujumbura accusing Kigali of backing opponents of President Pierre Nkurunziza and providing refuge to the generals who attempted to overthrow his regime.

Rwanda has since denied the allegations, terming them baseless and a ploy by the Burundian government to divert attention from the crisis facing the country.

In September, Burundi filed an official complaint with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) accusing Rwanda of acts of aggression against its territory.