DR Congo protests Formula 1’s ‘indefensible’ decision to race in Rwanda

Key points

• DR Congo's foreign minister calls F1's Rwanda race plan morally indefensible.
• Rwanda announced the Bugesera circuit race for the early 2030s.
• DRC backs South Africa's rival bid to host instead.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has criticised Formula 1's plan to hold an African Grand Prix in Rwanda, saying the race would legitimise an authoritarian leader. Congolese Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner made the comments on Thursday.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame appeared on Tuesday with F1 Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to announce the race. It will take place at a circuit still to be built at Bugesera, near the capital Kigali, in the early 2030s, according to F1. The series last raced in Africa in 1993.

What the minister said

Kayikwamba Wagner said she warned F1 authorities in February 2025 that letting Rwanda host a Grand Prix would be morally indefensible. She said the DRC welcomes Formula 1's return to Africa but that the race would help improve the image of Kagame, whose government she said has helped fuel a devastating war in the DRC.

She added that the DRC supports rival efforts by South Africa to host a race instead. She also called on F1 to require credible, independent guarantees that no money used to host the race comes from conflict-linked minerals or the exploitation of Congolese resources.

giving Paul Kagame this platform would help polish the image of an authoritarian leader whose government has helped fuel a devastating war in our country

— Therese Kayikwamba Wagner

Background to the dispute

The DRC, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in eastern DRC. Rwanda says its security measures are meant to protect it from threats by armed groups operating across the border.

The DRC has previously objected to other Rwandan efforts to promote its brand through sports, including sponsorship deals with leading European football clubs. In March, the US imposed sanctions on Rwanda's military and four senior officers over support for M23 rebels. Rwanda rejected the sanctions as one-sided and said they misrepresented the conflict.