Mushikiwabo’s third term divides Francophonie
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Soleil, Rwanda News Agency and Rwanda Dispatch
The 20th Francophonie Summit opens in Phnom Penh as Louise Mushikiwabo’s reappointment as head of the OIF divides member states, with Kinshasa threatening to leave the organisation. DR Congo now backs former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș, according to Le Soleil.
The 20th Summit of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF) opened on 15 November 2026 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, amid divisions over a possible third term for Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo, according to Le Soleil. The heads of state and government, meeting until 16 November, must settle the issue as the organisation has traditionally been committed to consensus.
The Rwandan, backed by President Paul Kagame, who is attending the summit, believes she is entitled to seek another term, as no OIF text prohibits it. Kinshasa threatens to leave the organisation if she secures another term; with Juliana Lumumba having withdrawn her candidacy, DR Congo now supports former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș. Coumba Bâ, a Mauritanian national, is also among the candidates to succeed her. Failing a common agreement, full members could resort to a vote.
These tensions come on top of the departure of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which accuse the organisation of political interference. According to diplomatic sources, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is said to have sought to bring together his African counterparts to harmonise their positions. The discussions also focus on the theme “Reinvesting in peace for shared prosperity and lasting stability”, with Cambodia hosting the first Southeast Asian summit since Hanoi in 1997. Leaders are called upon to commit to education, youth, culture, gender equality, digital technology and democratic governance, with only one year remaining before the end of the 2024-2027 programme.
The controversy over the succession extends an already tense campaign: Rwanda defends a third term for Louise Mushikiwabo since 1 November, and Kigali refused on the eve of the opening to withdraw its candidacy.
