Rwanda has pulled out of a regional bloc of central African countries. This comes after a diplomatic row over Rwanda’s alleged role in the ongoing conflict in the east of the DRC.
Rwanda was supposed to take up the chairmanship of the Economic Community of Central African States (Eccas) but was prevented from doing so in Equatorial Guinea, over the weekend.
In a statement the Rwandan government said it saw: “no justification for remaining in an organisation whose current functioning runs counter to its founding principles and intended purpose.”
The Congolese government said that leaders of the 11-member bloc acknowledged Rwandan aggression. It also said until the issue was resolved it had been decided that Equatorial Guinea would remain as the chairman of the bloc.
A Congolese government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, said he hoped that this action by Eccas would encourage other regional bodies to take a firmer line against Rwanda.