Delayed Friendship Games to begin in Rwanda tomorrow

The 2015 Friendship Games will get underway tomorrow ©Peace and Sport

The 2015 Friendship Games, originally due to be held from August 7 to 9 before the event was postponed owing to security concerns, are due to get underway in Bugarama, Rwanda, tomorrow.

The three-day event, featuring athletes aged nine to 16 from Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo, includes sport competitions and demonstrations, awareness-raising workshops on HIV, environmental protection and women’s rights, and cultural activities.

It was put back three months following security fears in neighbouring Burundi, which shares a border with Rwanda, where General Adolphe Nshimirimana, a close aid of controversial President Pierre Nkurunziza, was shot dead on August 2 in a drive-by incident in the Kamenge district of the capital Bujumbura.

Following the death of Nshimirimana, Pierre Claver Mbonimpa, a human rights activist and a stern critic of the President’s re-election, was shot and seriously wounded in the capital.

Despite the incidents taking place in Burundi and not Rwanda, organisers opted to postpone the competition for safety reasons due to the close proximity of the two countries.

Image title — The 2015 Friendship Games begin tomorrow and run until November 15 ©Peace and Sport

According to reports in the African country, there was a fear that Burundi’s Foreign Minister could spark tensions between the countries after he labelled Rwanda “unhelpful”, although Rwandan officials had denied involvement or cooperation with the Burundian attackers.

His comments came after it had been claimed the attackers had sought hiding in Rwanda, though these reports were never confirmed.

The Games, due to take place until November 15, are co-organised by Peace and Sport and the Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee and have the support of the Ministries of Youth, Sports and Culture in Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

Around 300 young athletes from six youth centres across the three countries are due to participate in this year’s Friendship Games, the sixth edition of the event, which attempts to bring the neighbouring nations closer together through sport.

“The Games are a unique opportunity to forge ties of friendship and brotherhood, encourage social cohesion and contribute to peace-making efforts in the region, which are more important than ever given the renewed and widespread unrest over the last few months,” Yves Jamoneau, coordinator for Peace and Sport's field programs in the Great Lakes, said.