Rwanda quits Central African bloc in dispute with DR Congo – DW – 06/08/2025
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of backing up the M23 armed group that seized large swaths of eastern Congo earlier this year.
Rwanda Sunday announced it was going to withdraw from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) over tensions with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group seized large swaths of eastern Congo earlier this year, including its two biggest cities, with the offensive having led to a broader war between the two neighbors.
Kigali was expecting to take over the leadership of the 11-member bloc at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea.
Instead, the bloc decided to let Equatorial Guinea continue with the role, which Rwanda's foreign ministry decried as a violation of its rights.
Rwanda condemned Congo's "instrumentalization" of the bloc, saying in a statement it saw "no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles."
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Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
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Rwanda quits Central African bloc in dispute with DR Congo – DW – 06/08/2025
DR Congo accuses Rwanda of backing up the M23 armed group that seized large swaths of eastern Congo earlier this year. Rwanda Sunday announced it was going to withdraw from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) over tensions with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group seized large swaths of eastern Congo earlier this year, including its two biggest cities, with the offensive having led to a broader war between the two neighbors. Kigali was expecting to take over the leadership of the 11-member bloc at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea. Instead, the bloc decided to let Equatorial Guinea continue with the role, which Rwanda's foreign ministry decried as a violation of its rights. Rwanda condemned Congo's "instrumentalization" of the bloc, saying in a statement it saw "no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles." More to follow... Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
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