Rwanda has announced its decision to withdraw from a Central African regional bloc, deepening tensions following a diplomatic fallout over its alleged role in the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The chairmanship of ECCAS traditionally rotates among its 11 member states, and Rwanda had been next in line to assume the role. However, during a high-level meeting held Saturday in Equatorial Guinea, Kigali was unexpectedly blocked from taking the position.
In a strongly worded statement, the Rwandan government accused ECCAS of succumbing to political pressure, stating that its “right to take up the chairmanship… was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC’s diktat.” The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has long accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo—an allegation Kigali denies.
Rwanda argued that the move violated the bloc’s founding principles and undermined its credibility, saying there was “no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its intended purpose.”
The decision to exit ECCAS marks a serious rupture in regional cooperation at a time when Central Africa is grappling with escalating insecurity, displacement crises, and fragile diplomatic trust. It also underscores how regional bodies risk paralysis when long-standing tensions between member states go unresolved.
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”.
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Rwanda has accused the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) of sidelining it from assuming the rotating chairmanship, which the country was scheduled to take up in accordance with the bloc’s leadership structure.
At a summit held on Saturday in Equatorial Guinea, ECCAS member states blocked Rwanda from taking on the role, prompting Kigali to announce its immediate withdrawal from the organization.
In a statement, the Rwandan government described the decision as a deliberate act aimed at enforcing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s political agenda. “Our right to the chairmanship was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC’s diktat,” the statement read.
As a result, Rwanda said it could no longer justify its continued membership in a bloc “whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose.”
Further responding to the move, ECCAS officials stated that the decision should serve as a signal to other regional bodies to adopt a firmer position toward Rwanda.
Rwanda faces mounting accusations of backing the M23 rebel group, which has made major territorial gains this year, including the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu in eastern DRC.
The DRC government, along with the United States and France, has named Rwanda as a supporter of the rebels — a claim Kigali strongly denies. A UN expert report last year estimated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside M23 forces, though Rwanda insists its military presence is limited to border defense.
This marks the second time Rwanda has withdrawn from ECCAS, having previously exited the bloc in 2007 before rejoining years later.