Francophone Summit in Cambodia Overshadowed by DR Congo–Rwanda Dispute

A three-day summit of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) has opened in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and runs through Monday. The OIF brings together states and governments where French is spoken or widely used. The gathering is overshadowed by a dispute between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda over who should lead the organisation, a row that threatens to split it.

The OIF has 53 full members, five associate members and 32 observers. Around 20 leaders are expected, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Vietnamese President To Lam, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi. Macron, who chaired the previous summit in 2024, will hand the chair to Cambodia and on Saturday met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.

The race for secretary-general

On Monday, leaders will choose the next secretary-general for a four-year term. Rwanda's Louise Mushikiwabo, who has led the OIF since 2018, is seeking a third term. The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 armed group in the country's east and has threatened to leave the OIF if she is re-elected. The United States and UN experts also say Rwanda backs M23. Rwanda denies the allegations.

On Saturday, the DRC withdrew its candidate, Juliana Lumumba, daughter of independence hero Patrice Lumumba, and backed former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos to allow consensus around a unifying candidacy. Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said Mushikiwabo would remain in the race. Mauritania's Coumba Ba, a former minister, is also running.

Macron's office said most members agreed on the need for consensus. France is the largest contributor to the OIF's 2026 budget of 71.7 million euros. Rwanda says Macron asked Kagame to withdraw its candidate and Kigali refused.

The DRC has more than 110 million people and is the most populous country where French is an official language. Its exit would hurt the organisation, which already lost Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso after they announced withdrawals in March 2025 following suspensions over military coups.

Cambodia in focus

The summit's slogan is "Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Lasting Stability". Activists see it as a chance to press Cambodia, a de facto one-party state, on human rights. UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews urged delegates to push for the release of detained activists.