Rwanda pulls out of regional bloc over DR Congo row
KINSHASA — Rwanda says it is pulling out of a central African regional bloc after a diplomatic row over its involvement in the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The country was supposed to take up the chairman role of the Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas), which rotates between its 11 members.
But it was prevented from doing so at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea.
Announcing its decision to leave Eccas, Rwanda said its right to take up the "chairmanship... was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC's diktat".
As a result, it saw "no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose".
The row comes as efforts to end the fighting in eastern DR Congo continue. Following US mediation, Rwanda and DR Congo are working on a draft peace plan that is expected to be signed later this month.According to a statement from the Congolese presidency, the Eccas leaders at the summit "acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil".It added that until the dispute was resolved, it was decided that Equatorial Guinea would remain in the chairman role "to the detriment of Rwanda".In comments directed at Rwanda, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said that "one cannot continually and voluntarily violate the principles that underpin our regional institutions and claim to want to preside over them".He added that the Eccas decision "should inspire other regional organizations to adopt a firmer stance against Rwanda".Rwanda has been accused of supporting M23 rebels in the east of DR Congo. The group has made major advances at the beginning of the year, taking the key regional cities of Goma and Bukavu.DR Congo's government, the US and France have identified Rwanda as backing the M23.Last year, a UN experts' report said that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the rebels.But Rwanda has denied the accusations, saying instead that its troops were deployed along its border to prevent the conflict spilling over into its territory.Rwanda has once before, in 2007, left Eccas, whose mission is to foster cooperation and strengthen regional integration in central Africa. It rejoined several years later. — BBC
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Saudi Gazette
16 hours ago
- Saudi Gazette
Rwanda pulls out of regional bloc over DR Congo row
KINSHASA — Rwanda says it is pulling out of a central African regional bloc after a diplomatic row over its involvement in the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country was supposed to take up the chairman role of the Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas), which rotates between its 11 members. But it was prevented from doing so at a meeting on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea. Announcing its decision to leave Eccas, Rwanda said its right to take up the "chairmanship... was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC's diktat". As a result, it saw "no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose". The row comes as efforts to end the fighting in eastern DR Congo continue. Following US mediation, Rwanda and DR Congo are working on a draft peace plan that is expected to be signed later this to a statement from the Congolese presidency, the Eccas leaders at the summit "acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil".It added that until the dispute was resolved, it was decided that Equatorial Guinea would remain in the chairman role "to the detriment of Rwanda".In comments directed at Rwanda, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said that "one cannot continually and voluntarily violate the principles that underpin our regional institutions and claim to want to preside over them".He added that the Eccas decision "should inspire other regional organizations to adopt a firmer stance against Rwanda".Rwanda has been accused of supporting M23 rebels in the east of DR Congo. The group has made major advances at the beginning of the year, taking the key regional cities of Goma and Congo's government, the US and France have identified Rwanda as backing the year, a UN experts' report said that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the Rwanda has denied the accusations, saying instead that its troops were deployed along its border to prevent the conflict spilling over into its has once before, in 2007, left Eccas, whose mission is to foster cooperation and strengthen regional integration in central Africa. It rejoined several years later. — BBC
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
DR Congo, Burundi thwart Rwanda on regional bloc presidency
MALABO, Equatorial Guinea: Rwanda was blocked Saturday from taking the rotating presidency of the central African economic bloc because of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The presidency of the 11-nation Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) had been due to pass to Kigali, but at a heads of state and government meeting, DR Congo and Burundi objected. 'The conference postponed to another time the transfer of the rotating acting presidency of the community to the Republic of Rwanda and consequently decided to keep His Excellency Obiang Nguema Mbasogo as acting president of the community for an additional year,' a communique said. One ECCAS official described the atmosphere between Rwanda and DR Congo's representatives at the meeting in Equatorial Guinea's capital Malabo as 'tense.' The Congolese contingent said 'if Rwanda took the presidency, they would not be able to travel to Rwanda for community activities or events,' the official added on condition of anonymity. 'Burundi is also on the same path.' Diplomatic ties between Kinshasa and Kigali are fraught, with the Congolese government accusing Rwanda of supporting the M23 armed group that has taken swathes of territory in the mineral-rich eastern DRC since the start of the year. Neighbouring Burundi has sent more than 10,000 soldiers since 2023 to help the Congolese army fight the M23 and other armed groups operating in the conflict-wracked region. On Thursday, Qatari mediators presented the DRC government and the M23 group 'a peace proposal' to end the conflict, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Arab News
Students in rebel-held eastern Congo brave insecurity to take exams
BUKAVU: Tens of thousands of secondary school students sat for state exams in rebel-held eastern Congo this week, a complicated logistical feat requiring rare cooperation between the government and M23 Rwanda-backed insurgents seized eastern Congo's two largest cities in an offensive earlier this year and are now trying to show they can govern. African leaders along with Washington and Doha are meanwhile trying to broker a peace deal that would put an end to a conflict with roots in the Rwandan genocide more than three decades state exams, administered across the sprawling central African country for students hoping to go to university, began on Monday and will continue through them throughout the east of Democratic Republic of Congo required having education officials personally escort documents and other materials from the capital Kinshasa into M23-held cities and towns.'We were among those who went to Kinshasa to collect the items,' said Jean-Marie Mwayesi, an education official in South Kivu province, where M23 claims considerable territory.'Thanks to the combined efforts of our teams and partners, all 111 centers we cover have been served.'President Felix Tshisekedi's government announced last month it was waiving exam fees — which normally exceed $40 — for students in North and South Kivu provinces, citing M23 has previously said it seeks the ouster of Tshisekedi's government, the group's leader Bertrand Bisimwa told Reuters that it still recognized Kinshasa as the administrator of national exams.'Our presence in the eastern part of our country does not make this a separate country,' Bisimwa said.'The education of our children is apolitical. It must be protected against any political divergence because we all work for the interest and well-being of our children.'Human rights groups have repeatedly accused M23 of executing civilians including children — allegations the group has Katete was among the students who sat for exams at a school in the South Kivu regional capital Bukavu, which fell under M23 control in February and where insecurity including vigilante violence has increased since then.'Yes, security is there. I can still see a few people outside, responsible for keeping us safe. There are no disturbances, no noise, everything is going well,' Katete said, referring to plainclothes officers positioned by M23 outside the the local education official, said that of 44,000 students who registered in his zone, nearly 42,000 showed up, speculating that the remainder may have been displaced by fighting.
