DRC: several players arrested by M23 rebels

Author of several atrocities in the east of the DRC, the M23 group has taken things even further, with the kidnapping of several players playing in the Congolese championship.

Several players from the Congolese championship in the nets of the M23 rebels. The latter, residents of As Onze Vedettes de Pinga, were kidnapped while they were going to Goma to participate in the 36th edition of the provincial championship organized by the League of North Kivu.

According to information relayed by the media Irisfootball and reported by Sport News Africa, the players were blocked on Monday in the city of Kitshanga. The situation was complicated when M23 rebels, who took control of the town from Congolese forces last October, suspected the delegation of being Wazalendo fighters. This mistake caused the players to be blocked, preventing them from continuing their journey to Goma.

The heartfelt cry from the president of As Onze Vedettes

False pretexts, however, believes the president of As Onze Vedettes, Jean-Paul Djamba, who demands from the Movement the immediate release of its players. “ I am frustrated because of this arrest of AS 11 Vedettes players qualified for the North Kivu provincial championship. The M23-RDF rebellion stopped our players by asking them for their mission orders“, he declared in comments relayed by SNA.

“ The captain of the team who held the mission order in question quickly arrived in Kitshanga and was arrested. And this, despite the documents he presented, including the mission order and the team's insurance. We launch this appeal while asking the M23-RDF to release our team which is apolitical“added the Congolese leader. On X (formerly Twitter), certain observers, like Senegalese Chérif Sadio, invited the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to react.