OIF Secretary-General Louise Mushikiwabo said a gathering with Rwandans in Paris had lifted her spirits ahead of the organisation’s leadership election in Cambodia.
Writing on X, Mushikiwabo said she had missed the community despite a demanding work schedule and joked that it felt as though they had not met for decades.
Members of the Rwandan community invited her to a concert on Sunday, where she reconnected with them before travelling to Cambodia for the Francophonie summit.
“They greatly lifted my spirits before my trip to Cambodia for the Francophonie summit, where the OIF Secretary-General for the next four years will be elected,” she wrote.
Mushikiwabo thanked the community for its encouragement and said she hoped to meet its members again after returning from Cambodia.
The concert featured Rwandan musician Massamba Intore and his sons, Lionel and Daniel, who live in Europe.
Mushikiwabo praised their performance and shared photographs and video clips from the gathering.
She affectionately referred to the Rwandan community in Paris as “Abachou” and described its members as “adorable.” She also thanked the performers and ended her message with the hashtag #onestensemble.
Mushikiwabo is seeking a third term as Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie after Rwanda formally endorsed her candidacy. She was first elected in 2018, assumed office in 2019 and secured a second term in 2022.
She is competing against Juliana Amato Lumumba of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mauritania’s Coumba Bâ and former Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș.
The 20th Francophonie Summit will take place in Phnom Penh on November 15 and 16. Heads of state and government representing the organisation’s full members are expected to elect the Secretary-General for the 2027-2030 term during a closed session.
OIF members are required to seek consensus on the appointment. If no agreement is reached, the organisation’s election rules allow the decision to be made through a simple-majority vote.
Elie GATETE
RADIOTV10