Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ Rwanda has officially withdrawn from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), a dramatic collapse in regional cooperation amid rising diplomatic tensions with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The withdrawal was made public on Saturday, the same day ECCAS convened its 26th summit in Malabo, highlighting the growing rift between Kigali and the organization it accuses of political manipulation.
In a scathing statement, the government of Rwanda condemned the alleged manipulation of ECCAS by the DRC, calling it a perversion of the bloc’s foundational ideals. “Rwanda deplores the instrumentalization of the Economic Community of Central African States by the DRC,” the statement read, claiming that ECCAS had been hijacked to promote one member state’s political agenda.
At the heart of the controversy lies a disputed handover of leadership. The presidency of the regional body rotates annually, according to Article 6 of ECCAS’s treaty. This year, Rwanda was to assume the chairmanship. The DRC, however, reportedly objected to holding a summit in Rwanda owing to ongoing fighting between the two nations.
In opposition to these complaints, the presidency was given to Equatorial Guinea instead, a move that Rwanda claims violated the treaty expressly. The decision was particularly contentious given the fact that Equatorial Guinea had already occupied the office of ECCAS president in the last term, issues of procedural fairness, and political bias in the bloc.
The backdrop for this diplomatic break is the festering conflict in eastern Congo, where Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have been battling DRC soldiers for months. The deteriorating security situation has fueled mutual mistrust, and regional cooperation has become increasingly untenable.
With Rwanda’s withdrawal, ECCAS, a bloc of eleven member states that included Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, and others, now has question marks hanging over its relevance and unity. The organization, which was originally formed to foster economic and security cooperation in Central Africa, is now vulnerable to the very fissures it was meant to transcend.
As Kigali turns its back on ECCAS, the move foreshadows a major realignment of regional diplomacy and underscores the tribulations of multilateral institutions in politically volatile contexts. Short of attempts at confidence building and addressing long-standing grievances, regional cohesion in Central Africa may continue to fray. Bottom of Form
