Francophonie: Kigali accuses Kinshasa of backing a non-African
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The New Times (Rwanda)
Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, accuses DR Congo of violating an African Union decision by backing Romanian former prime minister Dacian Cioloș, a non-African candidate. The withdrawal of Congolese candidate Juliana Amato Lumumba could, in his view, favour a consensus around outgoing Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo, according to The New Times.
Rwanda’s Foreign Minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, accuses DR Congo of violating an African Union decision by backing a non-African candidate for the post of Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF). In a message posted on X on Saturday 14 November, he questions Kinshasa’s choice to back former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș rather than one of the three African candidates, according to The New Times.
According to the minister, this choice contravenes the African Union (AU) Executive Council’s resolution of July 2026, which endorsed the three African candidacies and invited the 27 African member countries of the Francophonie to select one. He says the resolution aims to keep the post of Secretary-General on the continent, and that AU member states, under Burundi’s chairmanship, will have to take note of the Congolese position.
Three African candidates are in the running: Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda, who has led the OIF since 2018 and is seeking a third term; Juliana Amato Lumumba of DR Congo; and Coumba Bâ of Mauritania. The minister adds that the withdrawal of the Congolese candidate could promote a consensus around Louise Mushikiwabo.
The Rwandan position comes amid a rapid sequence of events. Rwanda had already been defending, on 1 November, a third term for Louise Mushikiwabo, while DR Congo has withdrawn its candidate, Juliana Amato Lumumba, and now backs Dacian Cioloș.
