The Francophonie summit in Cambodia has opened under the threat of a split, as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda clash over who should lead the organisation representing French-speaking nations.
Leaders of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) are meeting in Phnom Penh for a three-day gathering, with the organisation’s next secretary-general due to be chosen on Monday.
About 20 leaders are expected to attend, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Vietnamese President To Lam, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi.
The OIF brings together 90 states and governments where French is spoken or widely used. It has 53 full members, five associate members and 32 observers.
Dispute over Francophonie leadership
Rwanda’s Louise Mushikiwabo, who has held the secretary-general post since 2018, is seeking a third four-year term. But the DRC has threatened to leave the organisation if she is re-elected.
Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 armed group in the DRC’s mineral-rich east. The DRC, the United States and United Nations experts say Rwanda supports the group, allegations that Kigali denies.
The DRC withdrew its own candidate, Juliana Lumumba, on Saturday and backed former Romanian prime minister Dacian Ciolos instead, in an effort to create what it described as “consensus around a unifying candidacy”.
Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe, said Ms Mushikiwabo would remain in the contest. Mauritania’s former minister Coumba Ba is also standing.
Mr Macron’s office said most members supported the need for consensus and that the French president would discuss the issue with African leaders. Rwanda has said Mr Macron asked President Kagame to withdraw Ms Mushikiwabo’s candidacy, but that Kigali refused.
France is the largest contributor to the OIF’s 2026 budget, which stands at 71.7 million euros. The DRC’s departure would represent a significant loss for the organisation: it has a population of more than 110 million and is the most populous country where French is an official language.
The OIF has already lost Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, which announced their withdrawals in March 2025 after being suspended following military coups.
Cambodia under scrutiny
Cambodia is taking over the chairmanship from France, which hosted the previous summit in 2024. Mr Macron arrived on Saturday and met Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet.
The summit is being held under the slogan “Reinvest in Peace for Shared Prosperity and Lasting Stability”. Activists are using the gathering to call attention to Cambodia’s human rights record.
Tom Andrews, the UN special rapporteur, urged delegates to press for the release of detained activists. “No one should be detained for defending human rights, reporting on matters of public concern, or voicing critical opinions,” he said.
Mr Macron is due to visit the Angkor World Heritage Site on Monday before travelling on to Malaysia.
