French-speaking bloc says Rwandan head will not attend upcoming games / Photo: © AFP
-
South African election results renew debate over identity-based voting
-
Post-election pressures complicate US and Israeli decisions on Iran
-
South African voters report smoother local election but declining IEC trust
-
UN members approve talks on treaty protocol against environmental crime
-
Dolly Parton museum and Nashville hotel open after singer’s death
-
Family-run West Sussex beach café prepares for first winter season
-
George and Amal Clooney attend New York political-comedy reading
-
CT scans reveal health and burial clues from Egypt’s Braided Lady mummy
-
British buyers pay substantial premiums for period-home appearance
-
Oxford faces complaints over lecturer’s classroom attire
-
Thomas Markle released to house arrest after child-abuse-image charge
-
Kyren Wilson and John Higgins reach International Championship snooker final
-
Dawn of War 4 developers chose Adeptus Mechanicus for tactical variety
-
New Zealand and Tonga meet for place in Rugby League World Cup final
-
Italy face unbeaten South Africa in Turin Nations Championship match
-
Reports of unsafe AI-toy responses renew calls for child-safety rules
-
ChatGPT interactive interface feature tested across six custom tools
-
Juneau food network combines difficult supply routes with deep sharing traditions
-
Freshways milk-price cut deepens pressure on UK dairy farms
-
India climbs green-transition ranking after first emissions decline in 25 years
-
Labour and National remain virtually tied as New Zealand vote count advances
-
Trump names Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff after midterm losses
-
The Good Daughter adapts Karin Slaughter thriller with Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy
-
Restored Albanian tower houses anchor new rural tourism trail
-
Heavy-lift drone evacuates wounded Ukrainian soldier from frontline kill zone
-
Sonia Gandhi reflects on family tragedy and reluctant political career
-
Morrison says West Brom recovered after pressure from successive derby losses
-
Pope Leo begins three-country South American tour in Uruguay
-
Britain considers 2027 state visit for Ukraine’s Zelensky
-
Khawaja says entire Australia camp knew of 2018 ball-tampering plan
-
Arizona Democrats Secure Historic Trifecta with New Legislative Leadership
-
Anna Miltina Confronted with Racism Allegations on ProSieben Show
-
Carney Welcomes U.S. Trade Reversal After Democratic Midterm Victory
French-speaking bloc says Rwandan head will not attend upcoming games
The International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) said on Tuesday that its head, Rwandan national Louise Mushikiwabo, will not attend the Francophone Games that begin in DR Congo this week.
The announcement comes amid high tension between the Democratic Republic of of Congo and its smaller neighbour Rwanda.
The DRC accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 rebels, who have captured swathes of territory in its east.
Independent UN experts and several western countries including the United States agree with that assessment, although Kigali denies it.
With relations dire between the African states, a question mark hung over the attendance of Louise Mushikiwabo at the ninth Francophone Games, a 10-day event due to kick off in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Friday.
Mushikiwabo, a former Rwandan foreign minister, was in 2018 elected secretary-general of the IOF, an 88-nation group of French-speaking nations similar to the Commonwealth.
On Monday, Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya told reporters that Mushikiwabo would attend.
But Oria Vande Weghe, a spokesman for the IOF chief, told AFP on Tuesday that Mushikiwabo would not attend the Games, explaining that Mushikiwabo had never received an invitation.
"Unfortunately, this brings confusion and has led the secretary-general to reconsider her trip," Weghe said.
L.Janezki--BTB