Venezuelan diplomats were told to leave El Salvador within 48 hours, according to a statement released through the Twitter account of the country’s president, Nayib Bukele. The announcement cited the “systematic violations of human rights” by the government in Caracas as one of the reasons leading to the expulsion. 

It also said the decision is “consistent” with El Salvador’s policy of rejecting the legitimacy of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Simultaneously, Bukele’s statement recognized US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president, inviting him to send his own envoys.