Rwanda withdraws from ECCAS, condemning regional bloc’s manipulation

The Government of Rwanda has officially announced its withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), citing the manipulation of the organization by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the backing of certain member states.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation strongly criticized what it described as the instrumentalization of ECCAS. The breaking point came during the 26th Ordinary Summit held in Malabo, where Rwanda’s right to hold the rotating presidency, as stipulated in Article 6 of the treaty, was deliberately ignored in favor of the DRC’s influence.

This is not Rwanda’s first expression of discontent. In 2023, Kigali had already written to the Chairperson of the African Union, denouncing what it called the illegal exclusion of Rwanda from the 22nd Summit in Kinshasa, which was hosted under the DRC’s presidency. The continued silence and inaction that followed, according to the statement, further confirm ECCAS’s failure to uphold its own rules.

“Rwanda denounces the undermining of its rights as guaranteed by ECCAS’s founding texts,” the statement declared. “Therefore, Rwanda sees no reason to maintain its membership in an organization whose current operations run contrary to its principles and usefulness.”

With this decision, Rwanda is sending a clear message to regional and international stakeholders: it will no longer tolerate dysfunction and political maneuvering that undermine fairness, sovereignty, and the rule of law.

Telesphore KABERUKA