Kagame’s Isolation from African Institutions and Fellow Heads of State Is Total

On June 7, 2025, Rwanda’s General Paul Kagame was scheduled to assume the rotational Chairman of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. The opportunity to take office was denied.

The loneliness of power: Kagame now finds himself boxed out of the very institutions he helped shape.

Kagame’s complete isolation from African institutions and fellow heads of state is unprecedented. He is an unwanted figure on the continent.

Firstly, within the African Union, the principal African institution, Kagame’s total isolation drove him to French-speaking West Africa, particularly to Francophone and France. His an unwelcome figure in the African Union and its institutions.

Secondly, the East African Community, another significant African institution, was severely weakened by Kagame’s actions. His decision to close Rwandan borders to member states, including Uganda, had a profound impact on the East African Community. Notably, Kagame’s closure of the Ugandan border led to the October 2024 launch by Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) of a joint infrastructure project. This project aims to construct a 1,200 km road connecting Uganda to the three eastern Congo cities of Goma, Bunia, and Beni, with the primary objective of promoting trade.

Thirdly, Kagame’s isolation extends to the Regional Oversight Mechanism (ROM) of the Peace, Security, and Cooperation (PSC) Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Signed in 2013 under the auspices of the United Nations, the African Union, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the PSC Framework is a regional initiative designed to address the root causes of conflict in eastern DRC. Notably, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye, who served as the immediate past chair of the PSC Framework, recently handed over the position to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

Fourth, the most recent development was highly embarrassing. The Rwandan dictator was to assume the chairmanship of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). However, the offer was withdrawn and he did not even attend the meeting. Consequently, Rwanda has withdrawn its membership from the ECCAS.

As a result, the international community which used to front him as a visionary leader has largely forgotten him, rendering him effectively invisible on the continent.