Romanian envoy to Kenya makes racist slur, compares Africans to monkeys

Romania’s ambassador to Kenya allegedly compared a monkey with Africans during a meeting in the capital of the East African nation.

Dragos Viorel Tigau was at a United Nations building in Nairobi on April 26 when a monkey appeared at the window of the conference room.

“The African Group has joined us,” Tigau said, according to a note from the South Sudanese embassy in Kenya.

“The African Group would like to condemn in strongest terms possible the insulting, racist and degrading utterances,” wrote Chol Ajong’o, South Sudan’s ambassador to Kenya who leads African diplomats in Nairobi.

The Romanian foreign ministry said on Saturday it had only been informed of the incident this week, after which it “began a procedure to recall its ambassador”.

“We deeply regret this situation and offer our apologies to all those who have been affected,” it added, saying racist behaviour or comments were “absolutely unacceptable”.

Some African diplomats have called for a public apology for the slur.

Kenyan diplomat Macharia Kamau said the episode “appalled and disgusted” him. “Utter shame attempts to cover up this disgrace. This [is] intolerable and unacceptable in any age, let alone (the) 21st century,” he wrote on Twitter.

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