Rwanda pulls out of regional bloc over DR Congo row

Country's President Suggests Region Is Unsafe

Rwanda has withdrawn from the East African Community (EAC) ^{regional bloc} over a dispute regarding ^{DR Congo.} In a letter to the EAC, Rwanda's Foreign Affairs minister has expressed "serious concerns" about regional ^stability and instead recommended strengthening the ^{Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie} (OIF). The move comes after ^{President Paul Kagame} suggested ^{last month} that the region would be better off without ^Uganda and ^{DR Congo.}

Regional Safety under Scrutiny

The ^EAC has recently been in discussions with ^Kinshasa about a ^{possible expansion} into ^{DR Congo}, which shares borders with five EAC members - ^Tanzania, ^Rwanda, ^Burundi, ^Uganda, and ^Kenya. However, ^Kinshasa has expressed concerns about potential ^{security threats} within the region, while also stressing the importance of ^{economic stability.}

Spokesperson's Statement

"The ^EAC is going nowhere," the spokesperson for the ^EAC, ^{Barnabas Bashiga}, has stated in response to Rwanda's withdrawal. He added that ^expansion into ^{DR Congo} is necessary to ^{ensure economic unity} within the region. The ^{DR Congo} will ^{formally apply} to join the ^EAC later this month, according to ^{Kinshasa's Minister for Foreign Affairs.}