France on Monday recalled its ambassador to Rwanda after the central African country refused to accept the appointment of a new French envoy.

France had called back its ambassador for "consultations in order to study the situation," after "the Rwandan authorities refused to give this approval," said foreign ministry spokesman Vincent Floreani.

But he stressed that the relations between France and Rwanda have continued to strengthen since 2010, citing high-level visits made by top leaders of the two countries.