PHNOM PENH, Cambodia, Nov. 15 – Leaders of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) opened their 20th summit in Cambodia on Sunday, with a dispute between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda over the group’s leadership threatening to split the bloc of French-speaking nations.
The three-day summit in the capital, Phnom Penh, runs through Monday, when leaders are due to choose the organisation’s next secretary-general for a four-year term, Al Jazeera reported, citing AFP and Reuters.
Fight over the top job
Rwanda’s Louise Mushikiwabo, who has led the OIF since 2018, is seeking a third term. The DRC, which accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 armed group in its east, has threatened to leave the organisation if she is re-elected, according to several sources cited by France 24. Rwanda denies supporting M23.
On Saturday, Kinshasa withdrew its candidate, Juliana Lumumba, the daughter of independence hero Patrice Lumumba, and backed Romanian former Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos to allow “consensus around a unifying candidacy”.
“We have called on all member states to work towards a consensus and, in that spirit, we would be prepared to withdraw our candidate’s nomination in order to facilitate the emergence of a consensus,” DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said in Phnom Penh, France 24 reported.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who chaired the last summit in 2024, asked Rwanda to withdraw Mushikiwabo in favour of a compromise candidate, but Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said Kigali had rejected the request and that she would stay in the race. Mauritania’s Coumba Ba, a former minister, is also running, AFP reported.
Why it matters for Africa – and Ghana
The DRC, with a population of more than 110 million, is the most populous country where French is an official language, and its exit would be a major blow to the OIF, which has already lost Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso after they announced their withdrawal in March 2025.
Ghana became a full member of the Francophonie in October 2024 at the 19th summit in Villers-Cotterêts, France, according to the OIF. The organisation brings together 90 states and governments, including 53 full members.
About 20 leaders are expected in Phnom Penh, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi. The summit is being held under the slogan “Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Lasting Stability”.
Source: Al Jazeera; AFP; Reuters; France 24; OIF.
Featured image: Oye News GH graphic.