Rwanda: controversy after the gesture of a Congolese footballer

In Rwanda, controversy is mounting after a player from one of the country's main clubs used the same gesture as the DRC football team during the CAN to denounce the silence surrounding the conflict in the east of the country. Democratic Republic of Congo.

During CAN 2024, players from the DRC denounced the ongoing violence in their country with a particular gesture (illustrative image). © Pierre René-Worms/RFI

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With our correspondent in Kigali,

Lucie Mouillaud

One hand in front of the mouth, and two fingers of the other hand on the temple, it is with this gesture that the Congolese player Héritier Luvumbu Nzinga celebrated a goal during a match between his club Rayon Sports and FC Police in Kigali. 

Many comments

An action widely commented on social networks, many Rwandan Internet users call on the club to suspend the player, going so far as to request his expulsion from the country, criticizing an act mixing competition with politics. Rayon Sports said it was “

 dismayed by the bad behavior

 ” of the footballer in a statement published Monday afternoon, calling on team members to “ 

discipline

 ”, on and off the field. 

Rwanda rejects these allegations

The symbolic gesture, made popular by the

DRC

team during the CAN to denounce the silence surrounding the conflict in the east of the country, has since been taken up by certain members of the Congolese government who accuse Kigali of supporting the armed group of

M23

in North Kivu. Allegations still rejected by

Rwanda

.

Read alsoCrisis in Eastern DRC: Tshisekedi continues his political offensive against Rwanda

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