Francophonie and prospects for peace at heart of Ignazio Cassis' meetings in DRC and Rwanda
Bern, 22.11.2025 — Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, the head of the FDFA, has just spent two days in East and Central Africa. Peace efforts to resolve the crisis in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) formed the focal point of his visit to Kinshasa on Friday 21 November. On Thursday 20 November, Mr Cassis inaugurated the new Swiss embassy in Rwanda, a symbol of the growing bilateral ties between the two countries, and took part in the 46th Francophonie Ministerial Conference.
The peace processes in the Great Lakes region were at the forefront of Mr Cassis' discussions in the DRC and Rwanda. On Friday in Kinshasa, he met DRC Minister of Foreign Affairs Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner. In addition, he met with civil society and Catholic church representatives to discuss the situation in the DRC's east and the ongoing efforts to promote peace. The visit was also an opportunity for Mr Cassis to highlight Switzerland's expertise in mediation and its willingness to contribute to these efforts.
Switzerland has been active in the east of the DRC since the 1990s under its international cooperation remit. It prioritises humanitarian aid for civilians affected by the ongoing conflicts in the region and strengthening their capacity to tackle the challenging situation. Switzerland has committed CHF 550 million to the Great Lakes region since 2009. Earlier this year, following the military offensive by the M23 militia, Switzerland was the only bilateral actor to have maintained its presence in the east of the DRC with its cooperation office in Bukavu. The DRC is the second largest country in Africa by surface area and one of the world's richest in terms of natural resources.
Strengthening ties with Rwanda
On Thursday 20 November, Mr Cassis was in Rwanda to take part in the Francophonie Ministerial Conference and to inaugurate Switzerland's new representation in Kigali, which has been upgraded to an embassy. He met with his Rwandan counterpart, Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe, and paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Justin Nsengiyumva. In addition to discussing the issue of regional peace, the visit was an opportunity to mark the deepening of relations between the two countries. (see press release dated 20 November link)
Switzerland's activities in the region are based on the Africa Strategy 2025–28, which focuses on managing armed conflicts and protecting particularly vulnerable population groups in Central and East Africa. In addition to reinforcing democracy and the rule of law, Switzerland's priorities in the region include the continuing diversification of relations in fields such as business, science and digitalisation.
La Francophonie must remain effective and useful
This year's 46th Francophonie Ministerial Conference, entitled Thirty years on from the Beijing Conference: the contribution of women in the French-speaking world, was an opportunity to take stock of the advances made and the progress still to be achieved in the field of gender equality. Federal Councillor Cassis highlighted the challenges facing the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF), which brings together 90 countries. In a polarised world marked by mistrust, La Francophonie must become a space of trust and cooperation that encourages linguistic diversity and solidarity. To achieve this, the organisation must remain effective and useful.
The ministerial meeting also provided an opportunity to meet with the foreign ministers of Cambodia, whose country is taking over the presidency of La Francophonie, and Senegal, as well as France's Minister Delegate and Representative for La Francophonie.
Mr Cassis was accompanied on his trip to Rwanda and the DRC by a parliamentary delegation comprising two members of the foreign affairs committees: member of the Council of States Petra Gössi (FDP/Schwyz) and member of the National Council Piero Marchesi (SVP/Ticino).