Rwanda cabinet endorses country's withdrawal from regional bloc

Rwanda’s cabinet has formally endorsed the country’s withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), citing sustained violations of the bloc’s principles by DR Congo, and the failure of the regional body to ensure impartiality among member states. ALSO READ: Rwanda withdraws from ECCAS Chaired by Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, the cabinet on Monday, June 9, reviewed Rwanda’s June 7 decision to exit ECCAS. “The rights of all member states of ECCAS must be fully and equally respected,” reads a statement following the cabinet meeting. The cabinet condemned the continued manipulation of ECCAS by individual member states, specifically pointing to DR Congo for violating the organisation’s rules and weaponising its leadership position to isolate Rwanda. “It is not acceptable that individual member states of ECCAS, including DR Congo, be permitted to manipulate the regional organisation against a fellow member state,” the statement read. It was reiterated that during DR Congo’s tenure as ECCAS Chair, from February 2023 to February 2024, the Congolese government colluded against Rwanda and ignored the organisation’s own guidelines. Concerns raised by Rwanda at the time were not addressed, and the Cabinet noted that similar patterns have persisted under the current leadership. “As the immediate former Chair of ECCAS, DR Congo violated the organisation's rules to unjustly collude against Rwanda... a fact that was officially brought to the attention of the membership, to no effect.” The Cabinet also challenged the narrative that the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo justified recent ECCAS actions, stating that the hostilities began well before DR Congo assumed the chairmanship in 2023. “The conflict in eastern DR Congo was already ongoing when it assumed chairmanship of ECCAS in 2023, therefore the pretext of the conflict does not apply in justifying recent actions.” As noted, the Congolese government initiated the crisis by attacking its own citizens in late 2021 and has since allowed over 200 armed groups, both foreign and domestic, to operate freely in its eastern provinces, posing direct threats to regional peace and stability. The cabinet condemned DR Congo’s continued military and financial support to FDLR, a militia sanctioned by the UN for its role in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It cited over 20 UN Security Council resolutions, including the most recent Resolution 2773, which calls for the cessation of such support and the neutralisation of the group. “DR Congo has sustained and continues to finance and support the FDLR genocidal militia in numerous attempts to destabilise Rwanda,” the statement said. In addition to these concerns, Rwanda’s cabinet denounced repeated cross-border incursions and shelling by the Congolese military and the FDLR, along with hostile remarks by President Felix Tshisekedi, as direct violations of ECCAS's founding treaty. “The repeated cross-border shelling and incursions into Rwanda by the Congolese armed forces and FDLR, as well as President Tshisekedi's public threats to overthrow the government of Rwanda, directly violated Article 3 of the ECCAS Treaty on good-neighbourliness.” The cabinet urged DR Congo to focus on internal reforms instead of externalising its internal issues through international platforms, saying it “should focus on resolving its serious longstanding internal failings instead of making the rounds in international forums crying foul and blaming external parties.” The Cabinet reiterated Rwanda’s firm commitment to peace and dialogue through other credible regional and international mechanisms. “Rwanda remains committed to the pursuit of peace through dialogue and full participation in the African-led peace process, as well as the complementary mediation initiatives of the United States Government and the State of Qatar.”

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Rwanda cabinet endorses country's withdrawal from regional bloc