Rwandan President Paul Kagame (left) chats with French President
Emmanuel Macron in Paris on May 24, 2018. The two appear determined to
turn around the frosty relationship between their countries. PHOTO |
AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron has affirmed his country’s
support for Rwanda’s candidate for the post of Secretary General for the
Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the body of
French-speaking countries.
During a meeting with
President Paul Kagame in New York, President Macron said France would
continue to back Rwanda’s Foreign Affairs Minister Louise Mushikiwabo in
the elections, set to be held when OIF members convene in Yerevan,
Armenia from October 11-12.
President Macron’s backing
of Ms Mushikiwabo is significant since it is a tradition for the
candidate backed by France to secure the position.
In
addition, the Rwandan candidate is going into the election with the full
backing of the African Union, effectively guaranteeing her 29 of the 58
votes.
Out of the 84 members of OIF, 58 have voting
rights while 26 are observers. Mushikiwabo has been endorsed by the AU
which has 29 members with voting rights. She has also visited almost all
voting countries.
Ms Mushikiwabo will be running against incumbent Canadian Michelle Jean, who held the post for the past four years.
Diplomatic cold war
The
Rwandan candidate has outlined four pillars of her Francophone agenda’
for the next four years as: Increasing the influence of the French
language; tackling youth unemployment; exchange of good practices and
increasing the relevance of la Francophonie on a global stage.
According
to Rwanda’s State Minister of Foreign Affairs, Olivier Nduhungirehe,
“President Macron reiterated his support to Louise Mushikiwabo during
the meeting in New York.”
The French leader has backed
the Rwandan despite criticism back home mainly by French opposition
politicians and media outlets claiming that the usage of French as a
language declined in Rwanda over the past 24 years despite it remaining
one of the three official languages.
Since coming into
office in May 2017, President Macron has initiated rapprochement between
Kigali and Paris, holding talks with President Kagame on at least two
occasions and inviting him over to Paris in May.
Mr
Nduhungirehe said that while relations with France remain
work-in-progress, there is goodwill on both sides to improve the shaky
bilateral ties.
Since September 2015, France has not had an ambassador in Kigali.
Paris
refused to nominate a new envoy after Rwanda refused to approve the
ambassador-designate, Fred Constant, to replace Mr Michel Flesch, in
Rwanda since 2012, following the defrosting of ties.
When
Rwanda rejected Mr Constant, France refused to name a new envoy,
maintaining the first counsellor, Xavier Verjus-Renard, in charge of its
diplomatic mission in Kigali.
Before Mr Flesch was
nominated in 2012, Rwanda had also rejected the envoy-designate Helene
Le Gal who Kigali said had links to French politicians accused of
abetting the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
New chapter
Despite
the diplomatic hurdles, Kigali remains hopeful that the two countries
which have had a love-hate relationship for the past 24 years, will
start a new chapter.
“As for the relationships with France, we will continue working on improving them,” Minister Nduhungirehe told The EastAfrican.
President
Macron backing Rwanda’s candidate for OIF at the time when Rwanda was
named the host of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2020
is seen as a strong sign of the two countries making good.
Ms Mushikiwabo is optimistic that the support will propel her to the leadership of the OIF post.
“I
have a lot of support for this position, not only on the African
continent but also across the globe,” the Rwandan diplomat told the
French television TV5 Monde last week.
“I will go to Yerevan with a smile … I am confident,” Mushikiwabo said.
Ms
Mushikiwabo, who has traversed the world over the past two months
canvassing for support said she will overcome her competitor.
The
Canadian diplomat and former Governor General was also in New York
canvassing for votes to retain her position but political observers say
that with France siding with the African candidate, the deal is as good
as done.
French media reported that there was first a
tête-à-tête, on September 25 on the sidelines of the UN General
Assembly, between President Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau concerning the OIF election, there was no consensus.
In
May this year, Mrs Jean defended herself against allegations of misuse
of funds, including allocating benefits to her husband who is not an
employee of La Francophonie but termed it “a smear campaign aimed at
tainting my track record.”
Reports in Canadian press indicate that Mrs Jean has received ‘lukewarm’ support in her bid to retain her position.
Shuttle diplomacy
Mr
Nduhungirehe says that Rwanda has been able to woo African countries
under the African Union to support Ms Mushikiwabo’s bid while members
outside Africa have also backed Rwanda to take over OIF leadership.
“The
chances are good. Rwanda has the endorsement of the African Union,
which includes 29 member states, the biggest contributor France, as well
as many other countries, the last one being Vanuatu,” Nduhungirehe told
The EastAfrican.
“Our candidate has nine
years experience as Rwanda Minister of Foreign Affairs and has an
ambitious programme for the Francophonie,” Nduhungirehe added.
While
the OIF largely remains a big organisation whose influence and might
have dwindled over the years compared to the Commonwealth for instance,
Rwanda views the leadership of the organisation as a big opportunity and
a big score at the international and diplomatic level.
Kigali
maintains that the La Francophonie is a vital organ and offers many
benefits. Ms Mushikiwabo has vowed to revitalise the body beyond just
promoting the French language but rather a bloc that offers economic and
trade opportunities.
Political windfall
“Both
OIF and Commonwealth are relevant in the international arena and Rwanda
is happy to contribute to the promotion of both communities,”
Nduhungirehe said.
Rwanda targets benefits that will
come with leading the 84-member bloc but observers say the motives “are
political” in nature and could boost Rwanda’s status globally.
In March and May, President Macron laid out a plan to revitalise the OIF.
On
March 20, he released 33 proposals to make La Francophonie a more
pluralistic and proactive organisation. He mentioned increased funding
to education and investment in what he described as “a new La
Francophonie.”
Opponents of Ms Mushikiwabo’s bid have
accused Rwanda of clamping down on freedom of speech and expression
while others argue that Kigali must open up political space and free
political prisoners.
Ms Mushikiwabo while speaking on
the French TV dismissed the allegations and denied reports in French
media that the recent pardon of 2,140 convicts, including opposition
politician Victoire Umuhoza Ingabire, and singer Kizito Mihigo, had
something to do with her vying for the OIF top job.
President
Kagame, who is the current AU chairman, also reiterated that Rwanda did
not act out of pressure but it is a routine practice in Rwanda for the
last 24 years to pardon reformed convicts, including even those who were
involved in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
In
New York, Ms Mushikiwabo continued the campaign, meeting several heads
of State from OIF members and Ministers of Foreign Affairs from Moldova,
Vanuatu, Albania, among others.
On Wednesday, the AU
hosted a reception of Foreign Affairs Ministers from French speaking
African countries in honour of the African candidate for the post of SG
of La Francophonie.
Relations
Observers
say that Ms Mushikiwabo’s ascent to Francophonie leadership will open a
new chapter of relations between Rwanda and France.
The
love-hate affair between the two countries mainly is due to differing
narratives on the Genocide against the Tutsi, with Kigali maintaining
that Paris needs to come clean on the role of French politicians and
military in the killings.
If Ms Mushikiwabo’s bid
succeeds, it will pave the way for France and Rwanda to mend relations
but observers say, until the two countries agree on the history of the
Genocide against the Tutsi, disagreements will remain.
“It
is a sign that ties between the two countries are defrosting though
there are many things that need to change. President Macron has showed
that he can change a lot during his time in office,” says scholar Tom
Ndahiro.
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