Foreign affairs minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has called out the Democratic Republic of Congo’s decision to support a non-African candidate for the position of Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), saying the move goes against an African Union (AU) decision endorsing all African candidates. In a statement posted on X on Saturday, November 14, Nduhungirehe said DR Congo’s willingness to withdraw its candidate, Juliana Amato Lumumba, could help build consensus around the incumbent, Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda. However, he questioned Kinshasa’s decision to back Romania’s former Prime Minister, Dacian Cioloș, instead of supporting one of the three African candidates in the race. Africa has three candidates in the race: Rwanda's Louise Mushikiwabo, who is seeking a third term after taking office in 2018; Juliana Amato Lumumba of the DR Congo; and Mauritania's Coumba Bâ. Nduhungirehe said DR Congo's decision violates the AU Executive Council’s July 2026 resolution on African candidacies within the international system, which endorsed all three African candidates and called on the 27 African countries that are members of the Francophonie to choose one of them. The minister said the resolution was intended to help retain the position of OIF Secretary-General on the African continent. He added that AU member states, under Burundi’s chairmanship, would have to take note of DR Congo’s position.
