Belgium and Rwanda announced the expulsion of each other's diplomats, as relations deteriorated over allegations about their respective roles in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Belgium, which has voiced concern about Rwanda's support for rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has said it will respond in kind. View on euronews

Decision 'effective immediately,' Belgian diplomats to leave Rwanda in 48 hours, Rwanda criticizes Belgium for 'destructive historical role in fueling ethnic extremism' - Anadolu Ajansı

Rwanda has accused Belgium of repeatedly undermining Rwanda over the M23 offensive in Congo.Belgium and Rwanda are expelling each other's diplomats in tit-for-tat moves as part of an escalating dispute over the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to Kigali, Belgium has 'consistently' undermined Rwanda when it comes to the offensive launched by Rwandan-backed M23 in DRC

President Paul Kagame tells Rwandans to “tightening your belt such that even if you lose weight due to hunger, the trousers don’t fall.”

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group swept through the mineral-rich east of the DRC earlier this year, taking two major cities, with thousands killed and millions displaced.

Brussels has been leading calls for European nations to sanction Rwanda over its support for the M23, a rebel group at the centre of DR Congo's crisis. The authorities in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, have given Belgian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country.