US senators ask NBA to review partnership with Rwanda
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Beto
Two US senators asked NBA commissioner Adam Silver on 23 October to review the league’s commercial partnership with the Rwandan government. They say the relationship risks helping to improve Rwanda’s image despite its support for a rebel group in DR Congo, according to their letter, reported by Beto.
Two US senators asked NBA commissioner Adam Silver on 23 October 2026 to review the league’s commercial partnership with the Rwandan government. In their letter, they raise concerns about Rwanda’s invasion of eastern DR Congo and Kigali’s support for M23, according to the Beto media outlet.
The lawmakers say the NBA risks contributing to a “sportswashing” operation and recall that in 2024 deputy commissioner Mark Tatum had promised that the league would adjust its activities if US policy towards Rwanda changed. They cite, among other things, a final report by the United Nations Group of Experts, submitted on 6 June 2026, which reports up to 18,000 Rwandan troops in eastern DR Congo and says Kigali now appears to have full command of M23.
The letter attributes the execution of civilians, rape, the recruitment of child soldiers and acts of torture to the armed movement. It also refers to more than five million displaced people and 10 million people at risk of famine in areas controlled by M23. According to the senators, an offensive launched by Rwanda and M23 the week after the signing of the Washington agreements in December 2025 sent more than 200,000 civilians fleeing — the remainder of the figure is truncated in Beto’s account.
