Emmanuel Macron is set to attend a biennial meeting of French-speaking territories beginning Saturday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where the French president, contending with public unrest at home, will face international political challenges as an African conflict hangs over the proceedings. The three-day meeting of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie runs through Monday and brings together a loose confederation of 90 member states and governments, comprising 53 full members, five associate members and 32 observers. Macron is expected to hold bilateral discussions and join the summit meeting, and Cambodia will take over the chairmanship from him, having held it in 2024 when France hosted.
The trip comes amid widespread domestic protests in France. The Interior Ministry said more than 600,000 people took to the streets earlier this month to demand higher wages and to support the country's student protest movement, which has resulted in thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries and schools set on fire. Before departing for Malaysia on Monday, Macron is scheduled to visit the Angkor World Heritage Site near Siem Reap, where he and King Norodom Sihamoni will mark the completion of a French-supported restoration of the West Mebon temple.S1S2
The summit's most delicate task is the choice of a secretary-general for the next four years, to be decided on Monday. The candidates include Rwanda's Louise Mushikiwabo, who is seeking reelection to a third four-year term, and the Democratic Republic of Congo's Juliana Lumumba, the 71-year-old daughter of independence hero Patrice Lumumba. Congo, the United States and United Nations experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo; Rwanda's government consistently denies backing armed groups there. Congo has threatened to leave the OIF if Mushikiwabo is reelected, a move that would be a significant blow given that Congo, with more than 110 million people, is the most populous French-speaking nation. Two other candidates, from Romania and Mauritania, are poised to serve as compromise picks.S1S2
France is influential in the decision as the largest contributor to the OIF 2026 budget of €71.7 million ($79 million). The outcome could be delicate because it follows the withdrawals of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the OIF, announced in March 2025 after their membership suspensions.S1S2
