Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis visits Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Bern, 18.11.2025 — The head of the FDFA will visit Central and Eastern Africa from 20 to 21 November 2025. In Kigali, Mr Cassis will take part in the 46th session of the Francophonie Ministerial Conference, before inaugurating the new Swiss embassy in the city and meeting his Rwandan counterpart. He will then travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for talks with the Congolese minister of foreign affairs. Mr Cassis' visit to the DRC will focus on the conflict in the east of the country and Switzerland's efforts to promote peace, stability and development in the region.
Mr Cassis will begin his trip to Rwanda by taking part in the Francophonie Ministerial Conference, where he will emphasise the role of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF) and Switzerland in the current global landscape, particularly in the context of International Geneva. The conference, whose theme is ‘Thirty years after the Beijing Conference: the contribution of women in the French-speaking world’, will highlight advances and persistent challenges in the field of gender equality.
Switzerland has been a member of the IOF since 1996 and is now its third-largest contributor. It supports Francophonie programmes that meet the needs of local populations, in particular by strengthening women's economic and social autonomy, promoting education, training and digital governance, and supporting activities that promote democracy and human rights.
Kigali cooperation office becomes an embassy
In Kigali, Mr Cassis will meet his Rwandan counterpart, Olivier Nduhungirehe. He will also visit the Genocide Memorial to honour the memory of the victims of the 1994 genocide. During his visit to Rwanda, Mr Cassis will inaugurate the Swiss representation, which has been raised to the rank of embassy – a symbol of the development and diversification of relations with this country of 14 million people. The strengthening of Switzerland's diplomatic presence in Rwanda is in line with the country's growing political and economic importance.
It also takes account of regional development and strengthens Switzerland's political profile in promoting peace and stability in the region.
Regional peace processes
On the second leg of his trip, Mr Cassis will visit the DRC to meet with Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner in Kinshasa, and pay a courtesy visit to President Félix Tshisekedi Tshilombo. Discussions are also planned with various actors involved in the regional peace process, as well as representatives of the Catholic Church. With its cooperation office in Bukavu, Switzerland is the only bilateral actor to have maintained its presence in the east of the country following the military offensive by the M23 militia earlier this year. The DRC is the second largest country in Africa by surface area and one of the world's richest in terms of natural resources.
Switzerland's commitment in the region is based on the Africa Strategy 2025–28, which focuses on managing violent conflicts and protecting particularly vulnerable population groups in Central and Eastern 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.
Mr Cassis will be accompanied on his trip to Rwanda and the DRC by a parliamentary delegation comprising two members of the Foreign Affairs Committees: member of the National Council Piero Marchesi (SVP/Ticino) and member of the Council of States Petra Gössi (FDP/Schwyz).