DR Congo condemns F1 African Grand Prix in Rwanda as morally indefensible

The announcement in Kigali

Formula 1 and the FIA announced on Tuesday, 13 October, that an African Grand Prix will be held in Rwanda. The announcement took place in Kigali, where President Paul Kagame appeared alongside F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. The race will use a circuit that has yet to be built at Bugesera, about 40 kilometres south of the capital, as part of a wider development beside a new international airport still under construction. F1 expects the race to join the calendar in the early 2030s, and Rwanda has signed a 10-year contract to host it. The series last raced in Africa in 1993. Domenicali said he was very proud and that the sport was showing the world what it means to be a country with a vision.

Congo's objection

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said on Thursday, 15 October, that the DRC welcomes F1's return to Africa but objects to the choice of Rwanda. In a written statement she argued that the race would help the Rwandan president improve his standing.

giving Paul Kagame this platform would help polish the image of an authoritarian leader

She said she had warned Domenicali and the F1 authorities in February 2025 that a Grand Prix in Rwanda would be morally indefensible. The DRC also backs rival efforts by South Africa to host a race instead. She set a condition for F1, asking for proof that the money behind the event is clean.

It should require credible, independent guarantees that no money used to host the race comes from conflict-linked minerals or the exploitation of Congolese resources.

Rwanda, M23 and sanctions

The DRC, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group in eastern DRC. The UN has called on Rwanda to withdraw immediately from DRC territory. Amnesty International alleges that M23 committed serious abuses while trafficking gold and coltan to Rwanda with the help of Rwandan authorities. The United States sanctioned Rwanda's military and four senior officers in March over their support for M23. Rwanda rejects the sanctions as one-sided, denies offering support to the rebels, and says its security measures guard against armed groups operating across the border.

Sportswashing accusations

Several non-governmental organisations, including Amnesty, accuse Kagame's government of sportswashing. Rwanda has sponsored clubs including Arsenal, Aston Villa, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, and it hosted the cycling World Championships in 2025. The DRC has objected to earlier Rwandan sports sponsorship efforts as well. Morocco failed to find the funding for its own bid, while South Africa has up to four separate projects with different promoters in three locations, two of them in Cape Town. F1 found the competing slot requests from several countries too difficult to manage on an already crowded calendar.

Site and timeline

The Bugesera site is still bare land, according to the reporting, and unnamed internal sources say the wider project should be completed by 2030. The new circuit is part of a plan that includes entertainment, residential, hotel, spa, sports science and innovation facilities. The race is expected in the early 2030s, while the DRC continues to press for independent guarantees on how the event is financed.