Description: Rwanda has announced the country’s withdrawal from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) following a contested vote which saw the country getting banned from presiding over the regional bloc. The bloc is comprised of 9 eastern African countries and was set up in 1983 in Libreville, Gabon as an organization which would facilitate closer economic cooperation and development of joint investment initiatives. Rwanda was set to inherit the bloc’s presidency from Equatorial Guinea, but DRC and Burundi contested the procedure citing concerns and submitting evidence that Rwanda sponsored and supported the M23 rebels in the DRC. Rwanda’s withdrawal arrives at a sensitive time when US mediated peace talks are expected to result in a draft peace agreement with the DRC by the end of the month.
Impact: Rwanda’s withdrawal from the ECCAS spells future bilateral tensions with the DRC and poses considerable risk towards the US – mediated peace talks. Both countries decided to cease hostilities as the US expressed interest in eastern DRC’s rare earth mineral reserves. The decision from Rwanda to withdraw from an important regional economic bloc could also be perceived as an act of diplomatic rebellion against accusations of funding and supporting the M23 rebels. The sensitive state of bilateral relations between the DRC and Rwanda could expand towards larger dimensions of confliction which could considerably compromise the efforts surrounding the drafting of the peace resolution.