Sibi was expelled after the WFP office in Burundi issued a directive instructing its staff to stockpile food, water, and cash sufficient for two weeks in case of a deterioration in security in Bujumbura.

French international radio journalist Esdras Ndikumana (RFI) reported that both officials left Burundi on February 14, 2025, traveling to Rwanda by air.

The directive, which later circulated on social media, caused controversy, with the Burundian government interpreting it as an attempt to spread panic among citizens and diplomats.

Concerns over security in Burundi have been growing amid the ongoing military gains of the armed M23 group, which has been defeating Burundian and Congolese troops in battles underway in South Kivu, eastern DRC.
South Kivu borders Burundi’s Cibitoke province in the northwest.

Sibi Lawson-Marriott, the country director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).

President Ndayishimiye exchanges pleasantries with Sibi Lawson-Marriott, the country director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).