Relationship dossier
Democratic Republic of the Congo
France
Relationship assessment
Active diplomatic and development cooperation, alongside friction over France’s response to conflict in eastern Congo.
Democratic Republic of the Congo toward France
+15The Congolese government engaged with France during Macron’s 2023 visit to Kinshasa and participated in bilateral cooperation agreements. Congolese criticism of France’s response to conflict in eastern Congo has also created friction.
France toward Democratic Republic of the Congo
+30France has pursued bilateral cooperation with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including through Macron’s 2023 visit to Kinshasa and agreements involving cooperation and funding. France’s position on conflict in eastern Congo has been a source of Congolese criticism.
Overall relationship
+25The relationship combines high-level diplomatic engagement and development cooperation with disagreement over France’s response to conflict in eastern Congo. These features support an overall picture of limited-to-moderate cooperation rather than a close strategic partnership.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
The Democratic Republic of the Congo and France maintain active government engagement, including a 2023 visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Kinshasa and bilateral agreements on cooperation and funding. Their relationship also has friction over France’s response to conflict in eastern Congo and the role of Rwanda. The available details support a mixed but cooperative relationship, though its broader scope and implementation are unclear.
Areas of tension
- Congolese criticism of France’s response to conflict in eastern Congo, including its position on Rwanda’s role.
Key developments
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Kinshasa, where France and the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced bilateral cooperation agreements.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the bilateral agreements announced during Macron’s 2023 visit are unclear.
- The extent of ongoing government cooperation beyond high-level diplomacy and development funding is uncertain.