Tems cancels a concert in Kigali due to the conflict between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo

The Nigerian song star Tems announced on Thursday that it canceled a concert planned in Kigali because of Rwanda’s support for the M23 armed group, which with the Rwandan army leads an offensive in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC). The M23 took control this week from the big Congolese city of Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu in eastern DRC, a region rich in mineral resources but prey to conflicts.

Tems, whose real name is Temilade Openiyi, said on social networks that she canceled her concert scheduled for March 22 at BK Arena in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. « I recently promoted my show in Rwanda without realizing that there is an in progress conflict between Rwanda and Congo »she wrote. « I never intended to be indifferent to the problems of real life, and I sincerely apologize if I gave this impression »added the first Nigerian singer to have won a Grammy Award in 2023. « I just had no idea what was going on. My thoughts go to affected people ».

Earlier in the day, M23 leaders said they wanted « Continue the liberation march to Kinshasa »the capital of the DRC. The DRC accuses Rwanda of leading its offensive to North Kivu and South Kivu to enjoy the mineral wealth of the region. A UN expert report published in July has supported these statements, indicating that thousands of Rwandan soldiers are in eastern DRC and that Rwanda has the « de facto control » of the M23. Kigali rejected these accusations.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame has never recognized his military involvement. But he also maintains that the conflict cannot stop as long as an armed group based in the DRC, the democratic Liberation forces of Rwanda (FDLR), created by former Hutu leaders responsible for the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, will not be eliminated.