By Dean Lubowa Saava
Rwanda has officially announced its withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), citing the bloc’s alleged “instrumentalization” by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with the support of some member states.
In a strongly worded statement issued on Saturday night by the Rwandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kigali accused the DRC of violating the community’s founding treaty and undermining Rwanda’s rights within the organization.
The latest controversy unfolded at the 26th Ordinary Summit held in Malabo, where Rwanda claims its rightful turn to assume the bloc’s rotating presidency – as provided for in Article 6 of the ECCAS treaty – was deliberately bypassed in favor of the DRC’s agenda. “This is not an isolated incident,” the statement reads. “Rwanda had already, in a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the African Union, denounced the illegal exclusion from the 22nd Summit in 2023 in Kinshasa, under the DRC’s chairmanship.”
Kigali further criticized the organization’s failure to address what it sees as repeated violations of its internal rules, adding that the silence and inaction of ECCAS have demonstrated the organization’s inability to uphold its own governing principles.
By withdrawing from the bloc, Rwanda is rejecting what it describes as a serious infringement on its sovereign rights guaranteed by ECCAS’ founding texts. “Rwanda sees no reason to remain a member of an organization whose operations have become incompatible with its principles and purpose,” the statement concludes.
The latest decision marks a serious escalation in the diplomatic tensions between Kigali and Kinshasa, already strained by ongoing security and political disputes in the Great Lakes region.
The diplomatic rupture between Rwanda and the DRC has been steadily deepening over the past several years, fueled by security, political, and historical disputes that date back to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
At the heart of the conflict is the persistent issue of armed groups operating along their shared border, particularly the resurgence of the M23 rebel movement, which Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing – a charge Kigali has consistently denied. In turn, Rwanda has accused the DRC of harboring the FDLR, a militia comprised of remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide, posing an ongoing security threat to Rwanda’s national stability.
These security tensions have repeatedly spilled into the diplomatic arena, with both sides trading accusations at regional and international forums, including the United Nations and African Union.
The dispute over leadership positions within ECCAS is now the latest flashpoint. Rwanda sees Kinshasa’s influence within the bloc – and its alleged effort to block Rwanda’s rightful turn at ECCAS leadership – as part of a broader campaign to isolate and delegitimize Kigali on the continental stage.
Beyond the bilateral tensions, the crisis has also exposed divisions within African regional organizations, where geopolitical rivalries often spill into institutional processes.
The failure of ECCAS to mediate or enforce its internal rules, as claimed by Rwanda, underscores the fragility of multilateral diplomacy in Central Africa amid intensifying national rivalries.
The fallout from Rwanda’s withdrawal could have implications for regional security cooperation, cross-border trade, and peacekeeping initiatives in the volatile Great Lakes region, where both countries are major players.
