Rwanda-DRC tensions test OIF unity ahead of Secretary-General election

The strained relationship between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has emerged as a major talking point ahead of the 20th Summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from November 15 to 16, 2026, where leaders are preparing to elect a new Secretary-General for the 2027–2030 term.

Although the summit brings together leaders of French-speaking countries to discuss cooperation, peace and development, attention has increasingly shifted towards the leadership contest, which has exposed divisions between Kigali and Kinshasa.

Rwanda’s Louise Mushikiwabo, the incumbent Secretary-General, is seeking a third consecutive four-year term.

She initially faced three challengers: DRC’s Juliana Amato Lumumba, Mauritania’s Coumba Bâ and Romania’s former Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș.

However, on November 14, Kinshasa withdrew Lumumba’s candidacy in favour of supporting Cioloș, while opposing Mushikiwabo’s re-election.

The Congolese government has also raised the possibility of reconsidering its membership of the OIF if Mushikiwabo secures another term.

Speaking in Phnom Penh, Mushikiwabo said she would be surprised if the DRC withdrew over an election outcome, insisting that decisions within the organisation are collective and that no individual member has veto powers.

The leadership contest comes at a significant moment in the organisation’s history.

Established on March 20, 1970, in Niamey, Niger, as the Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT), the organisation was founded through the efforts of Senegal’s Léopold Sédar Senghor, Tunisia’s Habib Bourguiba, Niger’s Hamani Diori and Cambodia’s Norodom Sihanouk.

It became the Intergovernmental Agency of La Francophonie in 1998 before adopting its current name, the International Organisation of La Francophonie, in 2005.

Today, it brings together 90 states and governments, including 53 full members entitled to vote.

Since the creation of the Secretary-General position in 1997, the organisation has been led by four personalities: Egypt’s Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1997–2002), Senegal’s Abdou Diouf (2003–2014), Canada’s Michaëlle Jean (2015–2018) and Rwanda’s Mushikiwabo, who took office in January 2019 and was re-elected in 2022.

The Secretary-General serves as the organisation’s chief political representative, overseeing its strategic direction and promoting cooperation among member states.

Photos

Louise Mushikiwabo

Juliana Amato Lumumba

Dacian Cioloș.