Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi is threatening to pull the Democratic Republic of Congo out of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie if Rwandan incumbent Louise Mushikiwabo is re-elected as Secretary-General at the 20th Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where delegates will cast their votes on November 16, 2026.
According to KT PRESS reporting published on November 12, Kinshasa has made the sabotage of this vote a personal mission of the Tshisekedi administration, driven not by any assessment of the Secretary-General's record, but by open anti-Rwanda sentiment.
A candidacy built on resentment, not vision
In February 2026, Kinshasa put forward Juliana Amato Lumumba, a former Congolese Minister of Culture and daughter of the late Prime Minister Patrice Emery Lumumba, to challenge Mushikiwabo. One might have expected a fair contest between two capable candidates. What followed instead was a campaign that, according to KT PRESS, poured millions of dollars into lobbying member states while offering no credible vision for the organization itself.
The effort quickly collapsed. Lumumba has recently expressed frustration publicly, accusing Kinshasa of abandoning her in the race. She acknowledged that her candidacy never received the necessary support, lobbying, or political commitment from the very government that put her forward.
The withdrawal threat
With the election approaching and Tshisekedi's prospects looking slim, a new tactic has emerged: blackmail. During a visit to Kinshasa, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot met Tshisekedi, who threatened that the DRC would leave the organization if Mushikiwabo were re-elected. Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya repeated the same threat in a recent interview with Global Africa Télésud.
The pattern is familiar to anyone who has followed Kinshasa's conduct in regional bodies. It either gets its way or it works to wreck the whole structure.
A record of dividing institutions
The East African Community was the first casualty. Kenya and Uganda supported negotiated solutions to the Congolese crisis, while Burundi and Tanzania backed war against the rebels, reportedly in exchange for promises of millions of dollars. The result: the EAC is now sidelined from the crisis it was meant to help resolve, and Kinshasa owes unpaid contributions to the bloc.
The Southern African Development Community met the same fate. Only South Africa and Malawi accepted the promised financial rewards and sent troops in support of the regime, while the rest refused to get involved. The SADC too is now sidelined, and Kinshasa owes it money as well.
The African Union and the United Nations have become battlegrounds for Kinshasa's campaign to impose its own narrative of the crisis. In that narrative, the DRC is a victim, and there is never any mention of the peace agreement it signed in Washington, which committed it to end its alliance with the genocidal FDLR and to neutralize that group.
Rwanda's position stands on merit
For Rwandans, this episode carries a lesson the nation knows well. Rwanda does not seek position through intimidation; it earns it through performance. Mushikiwabo has led the OIF with competence and experience recognized across the Francophone world, and it is precisely that record, not her nationality, that should decide this vote.
Rwanda's own history teaches the cost of division. A country that rebuilt itself from the ashes of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, through discipline, unity, and hard work, watches with concern as its neighbor's leadership chooses confrontation over cooperation, and arms a group founded by génocidaires rather than honoring signed commitments. We have lived through what such politics produces, and we refuse to see it repeated.
Rwanda remains committed to peace with its Congolese neighbors. The Congolese people themselves deserve leaders who build bridges rather than burn institutions. The question now before the delegates gathering in Phnom Penh is simple: will the OIF reward merit, or will it appease a regime that threatens to walk away whenever it cannot win?
FAQ
When will the next OIF Secretary-General be elected?
Delegates at the 20th Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, will elect the next Secretary-General on November 16, 2026.
Who is the incumbent Secretary-General of the OIF?
Louise Mushikiwabo of Rwanda is the incumbent Secretary-General of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, seeking re-election.
Who is the Congolese candidate for OIF Secretary-General?
Juliana Amato Lumumba, a former Congolese Minister of Culture and daughter of Patrice Emery Lumumba, was put forward by Kinshasa in February 2026.
Has Kinshasa threatened to leave the OIF?
Yes. Tshisekedi told French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot that the DRC would leave the organization if Mushikiwabo is re-elected, a threat repeated by government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya.