French-speaking Leaders gathered in Tunisia on Sunday to discuss the rising unrest and instability in francophone Africa in response to requests for them to do more to address global challenges.
However, problems emerged at the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) conference itself when Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde, the prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, declined to take a picture with Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced and tensions in the region have been sparked, according to the DRC, which accuses Rwanda of helping M23 rebels who have taken control of large areas in its eastern region.
Louise Mushikiwabo, the leader of the 88-member IOF coalition, stated on Sunday that “all the war zones were the topic of protracted discussions.”
“The IOF is an organisation that can support and catalyse to mediate between parties in conflict,” she said.
The organisation has been charged with being “powerless” in the face of rigged elections, power grabs, and coups in several of its member states while having an annual budget of less than 100 million euros.
Mushikiwabo told reporters that “the disobedience that we’re seeing among young people in francophone Africa stems from political disappointment” and problems with day-to-day existence prior to the summit on the Tunisian island of Djerba.
The 1970-founded IOF was established with the goals of advancing the French language, fostering economic cooperation, and assisting in the resolution of international disputes.
In contrast to problems in their own nations, many African leaders have expressed shock at the West’s prompt response to the war in Ukraine.
But Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said that “a proclamation of all the members” had indicated “a very clear position on the conflict begun by Russia in Ukraine.”
In addition, Macron suggested on Saturday that the IOF resume its diplomatic function. Later, Paris declared its intention to run for the IOF’s rotating presidency beginning in 2024.
Among the leaders present at the two-day conference that closes on Sunday were the presidents of Senegal and Canada, Macky Sall and Justin Trudeau.
The meeting this year is a diplomatic win for Tunisian President Kais Saied, whose administration has come under fire from around the world since a massive power grab last year in the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring protests.
According to Trudeau, Canada is “preoccupied by the current situation” in Tunisia. He expressed optimism that the upcoming elections in December for a parliament that has little real power will result in “a democracy in good health.”
