Congo, Rwanda Clash Over Francophonie Vote

DR CONGO · FRANCOPHONIE

DR Congo has offered to withdraw its candidate for the top job at the Francophonie (formally the OIF), the organisation of 90 French-speaking states and governments, while Rwanda refuses to do the same. The dispute reached Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on Saturday 14 November 2026, two days before heads of state are due to choose the next secretary general.

Patrick Muyaya, spokesman of the Congolese government, called Rwanda’s complaint about French “interference” a “paradox”, arguing that Paris backed Rwanda’s candidate Louise Mushikiwabo, the outgoing secretary general, in 2018. For US readers, it shows how the Congo–Rwanda conflict now reaches international bodies far from eastern Congo.

What Happened in Phnom Penh

At the Francophonie’s 48th ministerial conference, a meeting of member foreign ministers, on Saturday 14 November, DR Congo’s foreign minister, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, said her country is willing to consider withdrawing its candidate, former minister Juliana Lumumba, a daughter of independence leader Patrice Lumumba. Kinshasa, the Congolese capital and government seat, would examine a joint approach in favour of Dacian Cioloș, a former Romanian prime minister, as a consensus candidate.

The Congolese government said the offer depends on reciprocity, because it expects other candidates and their backers to show the same openness. Rwanda’s foreign minister welcomed the withdrawal itself but objected to the choice of Cioloș.

Rwanda Says No

Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, wrote on X, the social network, that backing a non-African candidate breaks a decision of the executive council, the ministers’ body, of the African Union (AU), the continental bloc, of 28–29 July 2026. According to Nduhungirehe, that decision approved three African candidacies and asked the 27 African Francophonie members to choose one of them.

In Cambodia, Nduhungirehe and Mushikiwabo said no country may dictate to another that it withdraw a candidate. Reports say French President Emmanuel Macron asked Rwanda to pull her candidacy, but we have not seen a confirmation from the Élysée, the French presidency, and accounts of Kigali’s reply differ.

Muyaya’s Reply

Muyaya answered on X. He asked who had forgotten that Rwandan President Paul Kagame declined to travel to Luanda, Angola’s capital, on 15 December 2024 to sign a peace accord on the conflict in eastern Congo, in a process the African Union had entrusted to Angola’s President João Lourenço. He called it paradoxical that Rwanda now cites the African Union to break the consensus over the Francophonie’s next leader.

He also said Paris had actively backed Mushikiwabo’s election in 2018 and her re-election, and that the Francophonie is a transcontinental body, as a summit in Asia shows. Muyaya added that Rwanda’s uncompromising stance will change nothing about the consensus from Saturday’s ministerial meeting.

This is our translation of his French.

In Plain English

The Francophonie, formally the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), links 90 states and governments, of which about 53 are full members. Its secretary general speaks for it and is chosen by the leaders of the full members.

What It Means for You

The outcome will show whether the organisation can settle its leadership by consensus and whether the feud between Kinshasa and Kigali spills into other forums. For readers following the Great Lakes region, it is context on diplomacy, not a forecast of the vote; see also DR Congo news and Rwanda news.

What to Watch

The ministerial conference met on Saturday 14 November, the heads-of-state summit runs on 15 and 16 November, and the secretary general is due to be chosen on Monday 16 November. Whether Kinshasa formally tables its withdrawal before then is not confirmed.

What Is Not Known

It is not known whether any other candidate will step aside, or how the full members will vote in the closed session. We have not seen a reply from Rwanda to Muyaya’s post, or a public confirmation from France of the Macron request.

Sources: Statements of the Congolese foreign ministry and of Patrick Muyaya and Olivier Nduhungirehe on X, 14 November 2026; Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, summit programme and candidate list; African Union executive council decision number EX.CL/Dec.1361(XLIX) of 28–29 July 2026, as cited by Rwanda’s foreign minister.

More: DR Congo news in English, every day from The Rio Times.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Francophonie?

It is an organisation of 90 states and governments linked by the French language, formally the OIF. Its secretary general is chosen by heads of state and government.

Who is running to lead the Francophonie?

Four candidates remain: Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda, the outgoing secretary general, Juliana Lumumba of DR Congo, Coumba Ba of Mauritania and Dacian Cioloș of Romania. Mushikiwabo is seeking a third term.

When is the vote?

Leaders are due to choose the next secretary general on Monday 16 November 2026 at the summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Whether it is settled by consensus or by ballot is not yet known.

What does DR Congo want?

DR Congo’s government said it is willing to consider withdrawing Lumumba and backing Cioloș, if other candidates also compromise. Rwanda says it will keep Mushikiwabo in the race.

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