Rwanda withdraws from Central African bloc over alleged manipulation by DRC
Rwanda announced Saturday it is withdrawing from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), accusing its neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), of "instrumentalizing" the bloc with the support of certain member states, according to Xinhua.
The announcement came at the conclusion of the 26th ordinary summit of the bloc held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, attended by Rwandan Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente.
The organization's purpose was evidently distorted at the summit, as "Rwanda's right to assume the rotating Chairmanship ... was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC's diktat," said a statement by Rwanda's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
It also denounced "its illegal exclusion" from the 22nd ordinary summit of ECCAS held in the DRC's capital Kinshasa in 2023 under the DRC's presidency, criticizing ECCAS for its "failure to enforce its own rules."
"Rwanda denounces the violation of its rights," said the statement. "Consequently, Rwanda sees no justification for remaining in an organization whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose."
In the early hours of Sunday, the Presidency of the DRC issued a press release stating that regarding the current security situation in the eastern part of the country, leaders of ECCAS confirmed that the DRC is facing aggression from Rwanda and called on the latter to withdraw its troops from Congolese territory.
On the issue of the rotating presidency of ECCAS, the meeting recommended that Equatorial Guinea continue to hold the rotating chairmanship, with the handover to Rwanda postponed until the dispute between Rwanda and the DRC is resolved.
There was no immediate comment from ECCAS about Kigali's move.
The move comes as tensions have escalated between Rwanda and the DRC over the conflict in eastern Congo.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels fighting in the east, which Kigali denies.
