By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Rwanda will pull out from a Central African regional bloc after a conflict, in connection with its alleged involvement in the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), an official announced on Saturday.
Announcing its decision to exit the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), Rwanda said its right to take up the “chairmanship… was deliberately ignored in order to impose the DRC’s diktat”.
Rwanda was supposed to take up the chairmanship role of the bloc, a position that rotates between its 11 member countries.
But at a meeting in Equatorial Guinea on Saturday, it was allegedly denied the opportunity.
In protest, Rwanda, criticised for allegedly backing M23 rebels in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, says it saw “no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose”.
The row comes as efforts are ongoing to end the escalation of conflict in eastern DRC.
After a mediation brokered by the US, Rwanda and DRC agreed to work on a draft peace plan expected to be signed later this month.
According to a statement from the Congolese presidency, the ECCAS leaders at the summit “acknowledged the aggression against the Democratic Republic of Congo by Rwanda and ordered the aggressor country to withdraw its troops from Congolese soil”.
It added that until the dispute was resolved, it was decided that Equatorial Guinea would remain in the chairmanship role “to the detriment of Rwanda”.
In comments directed at Rwanda, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said that “one cannot continually and voluntarily violate the principles that underpin our regional institutions and claim to want to preside over them”.
He added that the ECCAS decision “should inspire other regional organisations to adopt a firmer stance against Rwanda”.
The M23 rebel group has made major advances at the beginning of the year, taking control of key regional cities of Goma and Bukavu.
DRC, US and France have identified Rwanda as backing the M23, but it has repeatedly denied the allegation.
Last year, a UN experts’ report said that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the rebels.
This is not the first time Rwanda is announcing exit from ECCAS. It left the group in 2007 and rejoined several years later.
The bloc aims to foster co-operation and strengthen regional integration in Central Africa.
