KIGALI, Rwanda (CHATNEWSTV) — Rwanda on Sunday announced its withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), citing escalating tensions with the Democratic Republic of Congo and a breach of the bloc’s founding principles.
The move follows a decision by ECCAS to block Rwanda from assuming the rotating presidency of the 11-member regional body, despite Kigali being next in line.
In a statement, Rwanda’s Foreign Ministry said it saw “no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles.”
The fallout comes amid a deepening diplomatic crisis between Rwanda and Congo, fueled by the resurgence of the M23 armed group. Backed by Rwanda, M23 rebels seized vast swaths of territory in eastern Congo earlier this year, including strategic cities in North Kivu province. The advance has triggered a wider conflict between the two nations.
The office of Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi welcomed the ECCAS move, saying in a statement that member states had “acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil.”
Rwanda, however, denied the allegations and accused Congo of “instrumentalizing” the regional body to isolate Kigali diplomatically.
During the ECCAS summit held Saturday in Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda was expected to take over the bloc’s rotating presidency. But in a surprising move, the bloc extended Equatorial Guinea’s leadership for another year, a development Kigali sharply criticized.
“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,” read a communique from ECCAS.
Rwanda’s exit raises questions about the unity and effectiveness of ECCAS, which has struggled in recent years to resolve regional conflicts, including coups, cross-border insurgencies, and humanitarian crises. Analysts say the rupture could further destabilize efforts to bring peace to the volatile Great Lakes region.
