Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda clash over who should lead the organisation of French-speaking nations.
Published On ۱۵ Nov ۲۰۲۶
Leaders of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) are meeting in Cambodia amid a dispute between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda over who should lead the association of French-speaking nations, which threatens to split the group.
The OIF is holding a three-day summit in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, through Monday. A loose confederation of ۹۰ states and governments where French is spoken or widely used, the OIF has ۵۳ full members, five associate members and ۳۲ observers.
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French President Emmanuel Macron, who chaired the last summit in ۲۰۲۴ and will hand the chair to Cambodia, arrived on Saturday and met Prime Minister Hun Manet, The Associated Press news agency reported.
About ۲۰ leaders are expected, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Vietnamese President To Lam, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi.
A fight over the top job
On Monday, leaders will choose the organisation’s next secretary-general for a four-year term.
Rwanda’s Louise Mushikiwabo, who has led the OIF since ۲۰۱۸, is seeking a third term.
The DRC, however, which accuses Rwanda of backing the M۲۳ armed group in the country’s east, has threatened to leave the OIF if she is re-elected. Congo, the United States and United Nations experts say Rwanda backs the M۲۳, one of about ۱۰۰ armed groups in the mineral-rich region.
Rwanda denies the allegations.
On Saturday, the DRC withdrew its candidate, Juliana Lumumba, the daughter of independence hero Patrice Lumumba, and backed Romanian former Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos to allow “consensus around a unifying candidacy”.
Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, said Mushikiwabo would stay in the race. Mauritania’s Coumba Ba, a former minister, is also running, the AFP news agency reported.
Macron’s office said that most members agreed on the need for consensus and that he would take it up with his African counterparts. France is the biggest contributor to the OIF’s ۲۰۲۶ budget of ۷۱.۷ million euros ($۷۹m).
Rwanda has said Macron asked Kagame to withdraw its candidate and that Kigali refused, AFP reported.
The DRC has a population of more than ۱۱۰ million, roughly ۴۰ million more than France, and is the most populous country where French is an official language. Its exit would be a blow to the organisation, which lost Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which announced their withdrawals in March ۲۰۲۵ following suspensions over military coups.
Cambodia in the spotlight
The summit’s slogan is “Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Lasting Stability”. Activists see it as a chance to press Cambodia, a de facto one-party state, on rights.
UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews urged delegates to press for the release of detained activists. “No one should be detained for defending human rights, reporting on matters of public concern, or voicing critical opinions,” he said.
Macron arrived as France faces widespread protests at home. He is due to visit the Angkor World Heritage Site on Monday before leaving for Malaysia.
