Rwanda’s sudden withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) on June 9, 2025, has rattled a region already on edge.
The government in Kigali made the move after ECCAS leaders, meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, denied Rwanda its scheduled turn at the group’s rotating presidency.
Instead, the bloc extended Equatorial Guinea’s mandate, a decision Rwanda called a calculated snub driven by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The heart of the dispute lies in eastern Congo, where violence has surged. The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group, which has captured key cities and forced thousands to flee.
Rwanda rejects these claims, blaming Kinshasa for inflaming tensions and using ECCAS to isolate its neighbor. Officials in Kigali say the DRC and its allies have twisted the bloc’s rules and undermined its mission.
Rift Over Congo Crisis Drives Rwanda Out of Central Africa Alliance. (Photo Internet reproduction)
Rwanda previously led Eccas from February 2023 to February 2024. During that time, it says the DRC broke protocol to sideline Rwanda, and that ECCAS ignored formal complaints.
Rwanda’s Exit from ECCAS Undermines Regional Stability
The latest summit brought these simmering grievances to a boil. Rwanda’s foreign ministry declared the organization had abandoned its founding principles and no longer functioned as a fair platform for cooperation.
This rupture has real consequences. ECCAS, with 11 member states, coordinates trade, infrastructure, and security efforts across Central Africa.
Rwanda’s departure threatens to disrupt cross-border business and complicate efforts to help the hundreds of thousands displaced by fighting in eastern Congo. The region is rich in minerals vital for global industries, and instability here can ripple through international markets.
Rwanda’s exit exposes a deeper problem: when regional groups become battlegrounds for political feuds, their value to business and peace erodes.
Investors and companies now face even greater uncertainty in a market already marked by risk. The episode shows that in Central Africa, political fractures can quickly become economic ones, with consequences that reach far beyond the continent.
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