The Democratic Republic of Congo is stepping up its campaign for the post of Secretary-General of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), after President Félix Tshisekedi held a working lunch with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Wednesday, February 25.

According to the Congolese presidency, the talks covered bilateral issues and an assessment of the security situation in North Kivu and South Kivu, which Kinshasa describes as being affected by a “Rwandan military occupation.”

Beyond the security track, the same statement said the meeting was part of Kinshasa’s effort to reinforce its candidacy and influence within the Francophonie, with the DRC positioning itself as the world’s largest French-speaking country by population.

Tshisekedi also used the meeting to re-emphasize French as a tool of cultural and diplomatic cohesion, and as a lever for economic and educational cooperation language that aligns with a broader push to build support ahead of future Francophonie deadlines.