Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs minister says exit from regional bloc was manipulated by DRC

Rwanda’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, has condemned DR Congo’s continued use of regional and international forums to target Rwanda, in spite of ongoing peace negotiations between the two countries.

In a post on X on Sunday morning, hours after the foreign ministry announced Rwanda's withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Nduhungirehe described DR Congo’s continued accusations against Rwanda in multiple regional and international organisations as “unbelievable and unacceptable,”

In the statement announcing the withdrawal, Rwanda condemned "the instrumentalisation" of the ECCAS by DR Congo with the support from some members and "distortion of the organisation’s purpose."

Nduhungirehe said Kinshasa acted not in favour of the March 18 meeting of President Felix Tshisekedi met President Paul Kagame in Doha, Qatar, the April 25 signing of a Declaration of Principles in Washington, and the two governments engagement in "promising US-facilitated negotiations for a historic peace agreement.”

“DR Congo, nonetheless, is still whining around in all regional and international organisations, accusing Rwanda of its own turpitudes, not to mention crying out for sanctions,” Nduhungirehe stated.

Rwanda announced its decision to withdraw after Saturday's ECCAS Ordinary Summit held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, which Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente attended.

Rwanda’s right to assume the rotating presidency, as provided in Article 6 of the ECCAS Treaty, was "deliberately ignored in order to impose [DR Congo’s] diktat," the ministry said.

Nduhungirehe reaffirmed Rwanda’s commitment to ongoing peace initiatives under various international frameworks but warned against Kinshasa’s “reckless” attempts to politicise regional organisations.

Nduhungirehe also questioned ECCAS involvement in the eastern DR Congo crisis, noting that the matter is already being addressed by two other regional blocs, the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), under the mediation of African Union-mandated facilitator, President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.

“Rwanda is engaged in all current peace processes (AU/EAC-SADC, Washington and Doha) in good faith and with a sense of responsibility,” he said.

“[Rwanda] will never accept the manipulation, by a reckless and hopeless DR Congo, of regional economic communities such as ECCAS, which is, unfortunately, running counter to its founding principles and intended purpose.”

After Rwanda's withdrawal, the regional bloc established in 1983 remains with 10 countries, namely Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, DR Congo, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe.

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