NBA oo ka saartay APR tartanka BAL sababo la xiriira cunaqabataynta Maraykanka

NBA ayaa markii ugu horreysay shaaca ka qaaday sababta ay uga saartay kooxda ciidanka Rwanda tartanka 2026.

Ururka Kubadda Koleejka ee Maraykanka (NBA) ayaa ka saaray kooxda ciidanka Rwanda ee Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR) tartanka Basketball Africa League (BAL) sababo la xiriira cunaqabataynta Maraykanka ee lagu soo rogay dalka bishii March, sida ay NBA sheegtay.

Sababta ka saarista iyo waraaqda senatarrada

NBA waxay horay u sheegtay in kooxda APR ee ay maalgeliso ciidanka Rwanda aysan ka qayb geli doonin BAL 2026, laakiin markan ayaa ah markii ugu horreysay ee ay shaaca ka qaaddo sababaha. Ururku wuxuu ka jawaabayay cabashooyin ay soo jeediyeen laba senatar oo Maraykan ah, kuwaas oo warqad u direy iyaga oo ka codsaday inay dib u eegaan iskaashiga ay la leeyihiin kooxda Rwanda.

Cunaqabataynta Maraykanka iyo jawaabta NBA

Maraykanka ayaa bishii March cunaqabatayn ku soo rogay ciidanka Rwanda isagoo ku eedeeyay inuu hurinayo colaadda Jamhuuriyadda Dimuqraadiga ah ee Kongo. Senatarrada waxay sheegeen in NBA ay halis u tahay inay noqoto mid ka qayb qaadata sportswashing iyagoo lacag ka qaadanaya dowlad Rwanda oo si nidaamsan u xadgudubta xuquuqda aadanaha. NBA waxay ku jawaabtay in kooxda Rwanda laga saaray BAL ka dib cunaqabataynta, sida uu sheegay ku-xigeenka komishinaarka NBA Mark Tatum, sida ay werisay ESPN.

Doorka Rwanda iyo APR ee BAL

Rwanda waa lammaane rasmi ah oo BAL ah, waxayna lacag ku bixisaa martigelinta finalka tartanka ee BK Arena oo 10,000 kursi leh oo ku yaal caasimadda Kigali. NBA waxay sheegtay in kooxda APR ay sii xayiran tahay inta cunaqabataynta Maraykanka ay socoto. APR waa mid ka mid ah kooxaha kubadda koleejka ugu waaweyn Rwanda, waxayna matashay dalka 2024 iyo 2025, markii ay saddexaad ka soo baxday, waxaana markan beddelay RSSB Tigers.

Deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told ESPN the APR club "had been withdrawn" after two US senators questioned the league's partnership with Rwanda.

The National Basketball Association says it removed Rwanda's army-funded Armée Patriotique Rwandaise club from the Basketball Africa League because of US sanctions imposed on the country in March, the first time the league has disclosed its reasons.

Senators pressed the NBA over its Rwanda partnership

Democratic Senator Jeffrey Merkley and Republican counterpart Marsha Blackburn wrote to the NBA on 23 October, giving the association until 2 November to respond in writing about its continued partnership with Rwanda. They said the NBA risked "becoming complicit in sportswashing by accepting money from a Rwandan government that systematically abuses human rights". They also asked: "What is the NBA red line for accepting money from foreign governments that commit human rights abuses?"

NBA cites sanctions in written reply

In its response, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the Rwandan team "had been withdrawn" from the BAL following the sanctions imposed earlier in the year, ESPN reported. The senators had also questioned how the association could "reconcile its continued partnership with Rwanda with its purported commitment to justice". The NBA said the APR club would remain barred while the US sanctions are in place.

Sanctions context and Rwanda's role in the league

The US placed sanctions on the Rwandan army in March, accusing it of fuelling the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last week Washington also sanctioned Rwanda's defence ministry over support for the M23 rebel group, which has seized large parts of eastern DR Congo. Rwanda denies backing the rebels.

Rwanda is an official BAL partner and pays the league to host its finals at the 10,000-seat BK Arena in Kigali. The APR, one of Rwanda's top teams, represented the country in 2024 and 2025, finishing third, and was replaced by the RSSB Tigers this year.