Rwanda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the country has withdrawn its membership from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).

In a démarche issued late on Saturday, June 7, 2025, Rwanda indicated that the decision to pull out of the forum came after the outcome of the Malabo summit.

President Paul Kagame led the nation indicated that Rwanda was designated to assume ECCAS chairmanship, but it was ignored by the member states, who installed the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“Rwanda deplores the instrumentalisation of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the support of certain member states. This distortion of the organisation’s purpose was once again evident during the 26th Ordinary Summit held today in Malabo, where Rwanda’s right to assume the rotating chairmanship, stipulated in Article 6 of the Treaty, was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC’s diktat,” their statement read in part.

ECCAS was created in 1983 to champion economic and social activity, particularly in the domains of industry, transport and communications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, business, customs, monetary and financial questions, human resources, tourism, education, culture, science, and technology.

Its member states include Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Chad.

It is one of the eight Regional Economic Communities (RECs) recognised by the African Union as pillars of regional integration on the continent.

Questions AU mandate

While accusing DRC of conniving with ECCAS member states, Rwanda also questioned the African Union’s mandate, stating that it had raised the issue of being sidelined.

However, Kigali lamented over the AU’s failure to enforce the rules guiding ECCAS operations.

“Rwanda had already, in a letter addressed to the Chairperson of the African Union, denounced its illegal exclusion from the 22nd Summit held in 2023 in Kinshasa under the DRC’s presidency. The silence and inaction that followed confirm the organisation’s failure to enforce its own rules,” Rwanda boldly stated.

“Rwanda denounces the violation of its rights as guaranteed by the constitutive texts of ECCAS. Consequently, Rwanda sees no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose.”

Feud with DRC

Rwanda and the DRC have been in a long diplomatic squabble over the M23 rebels, accused of committing grave atrocities in Kivu.

However, both countries agreed to halt fighting in the east of the country until peace talks mediated by Qatar reach their conclusion. Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, also reaffirmed their commitment to an unconditional ceasefire in a surprise meeting in Doha.

RWANDA WITHDRAWS FROM ECCAS.

🔗: https://t.co/77iGp1Rbiy pic.twitter.com/J37OoGssCJ

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Int'l Cooperation (@RwandaMFA) June 7, 2025