F1 ‘monitors’ conflict in DR Congo amid claims over Rwanda grand prix

Rwanda’s bid to stage a grand prix is also part of a larger strategy to position the country as a global sports hub but the F1 project is under threat because of escalating tensions in the region.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have attacked Congolese government forces in the South Kivu province, breaking a two-day lull in fighting.

M23 says its objective is to safeguard the interests of the Congolese Tutsi and other minorities, including protecting them against Hutu rebel groups who escaped to the DRC after taking part in the 1994 in genocide in Rwanda that targeted Tutsis.

Rwanda has been accused by a group of United Nations experts of not only backing the M23 but also of materially benefitting from the mineral wealth that is being smuggled into the country.

Rwanda has denied this and said that it is only interested in shoring up its border, but Kayikwamba Wagner said she was “deeply concerned” about the country’s suitability to stage the race in a letter to London-based Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

“Does F1 really want its brand smeared by a blood-stained association with Rwanda?” she wrote.

“Is this really the best country to represent Africa in global motorsport?”

The rebels have seized vast swathes of land in the eastern DR Congo, including the major city of Goma.

Around 2,900 people have been killed since early January as a result of the hostilities, the latest UN figures suggest.

Rwanda’s involvement in football sponsorship has also come in for criticism.

Former DR Congo captain Youssouf Mulumbu is calling on Paris St-Germain to reconsider its partnership with Visit Rwanda as he attempts to raise awareness of the conflict and humanitarian crisis in his homeland which has left people “living in fear”.