Rwanda quits Central African States over rights violations, political bias by DRC

Rwanda has withdrawn from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), citing breaches of its treaty rights and political interference led by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a statement, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the decision follows the 26th ECCAS Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, where it says member states unlawfully denied it the bloc’s rotating chairmanship in favour of the DRC.

Kigali accused the DRC of manipulating ECCAS with the backing of certain member states, effectively undermining the bloc’s founding principles.

“Rwanda deplores the instrumentalisation of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the support of certain member states,” read the statement.

“This distortion of the organisation’s purpose was once again evident during the 26th Ordinary Summit held today in Malabo, where Rwanda’s right to assume the rotating chairmanship, stipulated in Article 6 of the Treaty, was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC’s diktat.”

The Ministry added that this was not the first instance where Rwanda’s rights were violated. It noted that in 2023, Rwanda was excluded from the 22nd Summit held in Kinshasa during the DRC’s presidency, an action Kigali had already contested in a formal letter to the Chairperson of the African Union.

“Rwanda had already, in a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the African Union, denounced its illegal exclusion from the 22nd Summit held in 2023 in Kinshasa under the DRC’s presidency. The silence and inaction confirmed the organisation’s failure to enforce its rules,” the statement added.

Rwanda said ECCAS's consistent disregard for its rights and failure to uphold its own rules rendered its continued membership unjustifiable.

“Rwanda denounces the violation of its rights as guaranteed by the constitutive texts of ECCAS. Consequently, Rwanda sees no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose,” the Ministry said.

President Paul Kagame led the Rwandan delegation to the Malabo summit, where the country had expected to assume leadership of the bloc. Kigali maintains that Article 6 of the ECCAS Treaty provides for a rotating chairmanship among member states, which was deliberately bypassed to install the DRC in the role.

ECCAS was established in 1983 to promote regional economic cooperation and integration, with a focus on sectors such as industry, transport, energy, agriculture, customs, monetary policy, education, and science.

Its members include Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the DRC. The bloc is one of eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) recognised by the African Union as key pillars of continental integration.

The fallout from the Malabo summit adds another chapter to the tense relations between Rwanda and the DRC, largely centred on ongoing conflict in eastern Congo.

The DRC has repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group, which Kigali denies. Despite the hostilities, both sides agreed to a ceasefire and are currently engaged in peace talks mediated by Qatar.

The Rwandan Ministry’s démarche also called out the African Union’s failure to act on previous complaints, raising questions about the continental body’s ability to ensure accountability within regional blocs.

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“The silence and inaction that followed confirm the organisation’s failure to enforce its own rules,” read the statement.

With the withdrawal, Rwanda has formally severed ties with a bloc it accuses of being compromised and unable to guarantee fairness and legal order among its members.