Rwanda has officially announced its withdrawal from the Economic Group of Central African States (ICAS), during the 26th summit of the organization that was held the day before yesterday, Saturday, in the capital of Equatorial Guinea, in the presence of 7 leaders of the 11 member states.
The decision came after the summit decided in its closing statement to extend the Equatorial Presidency of Guinea for an additional year, and to postpone the delivery of the periodic presidency to Rwanda, which Kigali considered a deliberate ignorance of the project’s right stipulated in Article Six of the founding charter of the organization.
Differences and accusations of politicization
The Rwandan Foreign Ministry described the decision as a result of “the exploitation of the organization by the Democratic Republic of the Congo with the support of some member states,” considering that this trend reflects “intentional politicization of the organization’s mechanisms” and undermines its basic principles.
Rwanda indicated that this transgression is not the first of its kind, as it was previously excluded from the 22nd summit that it hosted Kinshasa 2023 under the presidency Democratic Congo.
Despite Kigali’s protest at the time and considered that the exclusion was “illegal”, no corrective measures were taken, which prompted Rwanda to consider “silence and stagnation” as evidence of the organization’s failure to respect its internal laws.
Flowed atmosphere
The French News Agency revealed from sources from inside the summit that the tension reached its climax between the Rwandan delegations and the Congolese, as Kinshasa, backed by Burundi, told her refusal to participate in any activities held on Rwandan lands if Kigali assumed the presidency.
One of the organization’s commissioners stated that “the controversy between the Rwanda foreign ministers and the Democratic Congo was raging, which resulted in the disruption of the summit.”
Several diplomatic efforts had made – including Qatari mediation that brought together the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda in Doha, with an American also seeking to reach an agreement between the two countries – that did not eat their eating.
Withdrawal with strategic dimensions
In its statement, Rwanda stressed that the organization “no longer operates according to its principles, and does not serve its goals,” which prompted it to take the decision to withdraw, which is a strong blow to the organization, which includes 11 countries, and is concerned with enhancing economic integration and regional security in Central Africa.
It is noteworthy that this withdrawal comes in the context of an escalating tension between Kigali and Kinshasa against the background of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Congo, where the latter accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, accusations that Kigali denies strongly.
Possible repercussions on the organization
The withdrawal of Rwanda, a member of the organization since 2007, is an indication of the fragility of regional blocs in Africa, especially when political accounts overcome economic principles, and the organization also loses one of its most dynamic members in terms of Economic growth Investment in infrastructure and technology.
On the other hand, this decision may push Rwanda to strengthen its alliances within alternative blocs such as the East Africa Group, which may be more in line with its economic and geopolitical orientations.
Rwanda’s withdrawal from the Economic Group of Central countries is not considered to be Africa Just a diplomatic dispute, it reflects a deeper confidence crisis that threatens the future of teamwork on the continent and may re -draw the map of regional alliances in it.