Based on a BBC article published on 4 November 2026, the NBA has taken Rwanda’s army funded basketball club, Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR), out of the Basketball Africa League for the 2026 season. The reason, according to the NBA, is the US sanctions that were placed on the Rwandan military earlier this year.
This is the first time the NBA has openly said why the team was dropped. APR is one of Rwanda’s strongest clubs and finished third in the league last year. For this season the country is instead represented by RSSB Tigers. Rwanda still hosts most of the league’s finals and playoff games at the BK Arena in Kigali and pays the NBA for marketing rights as an official partner.
The US first sanctioned the Rwanda Defence Force and four senior officers in March 2026. Washington said the army was actively supporting the M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo by providing troops, training, weapons and other assistance. Further sanctions followed in late October against Rwanda’s Ministry of Defence and a bank that serves the security forces. The US claims these actions broke the peace deal signed in Washington in December 2025.
Two US senators, Democrat Jeffrey Merkley and Republican Marsha Blackburn, wrote to the NBA in October asking how the association could continue its partnership with Rwanda while the sanctions were in place. They raised concerns about human rights abuses and what they called sportswashing. The NBA replied that the team had already been withdrawn and would stay out as long as the sanctions remain.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has long argued that Rwanda’s deals with the NBA and other international sports bodies help improve the country’s image while fighting continues in eastern Congo.
At Rwanda Freedom of Speech we see this as more than a sports story. When governments face serious accusations about their role in a neighbouring conflict, the public has a right to know what is happening and to discuss it openly. The NBA’s decision shows that international partners are paying attention to the sanctions and the evidence presented by the United States. Rwanda’s denial is on record, but the continued sanctions and the removal of the team raise questions that need clear answers.
Peace in the region will not come from silence or from polishing an image through sports. It requires honesty about what is taking place on the ground, accountability for those involved, and space for people to speak without fear. That is the only way lasting solutions can be found.
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