The players of the national team of the Democratic Republic of Congo caused a sensation with a protest before their defeat in the semi-finals of the AFCON. Similar to the German national team during the World Cup in Qatar, the Congolese internationals, led by captain Chancel Mbemba, covered their mouths before the 0-1 loss against the host country, Ivory Coast. They also placed two fingers from the other hand on their temples. While Germany’s silent protest in 2022 was directed against FIFA’s ban on the captain’s armband with a single finger, the Congolese action seemed to be motivated by the serious unrest in the East African country.
“We want to send a message to the entire world,” said François Kabulo Mwana Kabulo, the country’s sports minister, after the match.
“We need a reaction from the international community, as has happened in Ukraine and Palestine. It’s an unjust rebellion,” he added.
At least six people were killed in clashes between government troops and the rebel movement M23. Thousands of people fled on Wednesday from the territory of Masisi in North Kivu province to the provincial capital of Goma, about 20 kilometers away, according to security sources. The small, strategically important town of Sake was at the center of the fighting.
After years of calm, the M23 resumed fighting in late 2021 and has since conquered large parts of North Kivu. Kinshasa accuses neighboring Rwanda of supporting the rebels. The United Nations supports this theory, but Rwanda rejects the accusations.
