Grammy award-winning singer Tems announced on Thursday she was cancelling an upcoming concert in Kigali over Rwanda’s support of the M23 armed group waging an offensive in eastern DR Congo.
The announcement came amid international condemnation of Rwanda’s backing of the M23 group, which seized control of the city of Goma this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich east.
Tems, whose real name is Temilade Openiyi, revealed in a post on X that she was cancelling a concert at BK Arena in the Rwandan capital on March 22.
“So I recently promoted my show in Rwanda without realising that there is ongoing conflict between Rwanda and Congo,” she wrote.
“I never ever intend to be insensitive to real-world issues, and I sincerely apologise if this came across that way,” said Tems, who became the first Nigerian singer to win a Grammy in 2023.
“I simply had no idea this was going on. My heart goes out to those affected.”
The post came hours after M23 leaders vowed to “continue the march of liberation all the way” to the DR Congo capital Kinshasa.
The UK government said on Thursday it was considering reviewing British aid to Rwanda over its involvement in the crisis.
DR Congo has accused Rwanda of waging an offensive to profit from the region’s mineral wealth. A report by UN experts in July supported these claims, finding that Rwanda has thousands of troops in eastern DR Congo — and holds “de facto control” over the M23.
Rwanda has denied the accusations.
President Paul Kagame has never admitted military involvement but has maintained the fighting cannot end until a DRC-based armed group, the FDLR, created by former Hutu leaders who massacred Tutsis during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, is eliminated.
