Rwanda: Nduhungirehe in Chad to Rally Support for Mushikiwabo's Francophonie Bid

9 April 2026
The New Times (Kigali)
By Prince Ruzigana

Foreign Affairs Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, on Wednesday, April 8, visited Chad where he met with President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, to deliver a message from President Paul Kagame.

During the meeting, Nduhungirehe handed the Chadian president a letter from Kagame requesting Chad's support for Louise Mushikiwabo's candidacy for a third term as Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF).

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Earlier in the day, Nduhungirehe had signed a joint commission agreement with his Chadian counterpart, Dr Abdoulaye Sabr Fadoul, a step toward formalising cooperation between the two countries.

ALSO READ: Francophonie: Minister Nkulikiyinka lobbies Seychelles to back Mushikiwabo's third term

The visit N'Djamena is the latest stop in a broader Rwandan diplomatic effort to secure backing for Mushikiwabo ahead of OIF elections scheduled for November at the Francophonie Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Mushikiwabo has led the OIF since 2018 and was re-elected in 2022. If she wins a third term, she would become only the second Secretary-General in the organisation's history to serve three consecutive mandates, after former Senegalese president Abdou Diouf.

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