Commentary: After World Cup, will attention last for Congo’s challenges?

Since the First Congo War began in 1996, millions have died as a direct or indirect result of violence, disease, hunger, and displacement. Entire generations have grown up knowing little but instability. Eastern Congo remains plagued by armed groups that continue to terrorize civilians despite repeated peace efforts.

Among them, the M23 rebel movement has drawn international concern. United Nations experts, Human Rights Watch, and several Western governments have concluded that Rwanda has provided military support to M23, allegations Rwanda denies, saying its actions are necessary to protect its national security.

Whatever governments may argue, the consequences for civilians are undeniable. Entire communities have been displaced. Schools and hospitals have been abandoned. Families have fled repeatedly with little more than they could carry, while humanitarian agencies warn that eastern Congo faces one of the world’s largest displacement crises.

The conflict is no longer just a regional issue. Congo’s vast reserves of cobalt, copper, lithium, coltan, and other critical minerals have made the country increasingly important to global powers competing for resources essential to advanced technology and clean energy. Yet discussions about Congo too often focus on minerals and geopolitics while overlooking the people whose lives are shaped by the conflict.

That is why this World Cup matters beyond sport.

For the first time in years, millions are paying attention to the Democratic Republic of Congo for reasons other than war. They are discovering a nation defined not by suffering but by excellence, resilience, and pride. Sport has done what diplomacy often struggles to do: It has captured the world’s attention.

The challenge is ensuring that attention does not disappear when the tournament ends.

The consequences of this conflict do not end at the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. They extend into communities here in the United States. Having lived in Rhode Island for nearly two decades, I have seen firsthand how a war thousands of miles away continues to shape conversations, relationships, and communities here at home. Both Congolese and Rwandan families have built new lives in the state, yet for many, the conflict remains deeply personal. Many Congolese families have relatives who have been killed, displaced, or continue to live in conflict-affected areas of eastern Congo.

These experiences can shape relationships within diaspora communities. Long-standing grievances and differing perspectives on the conflict have, at times, created tensions between Congolese and Rwandan families. In some households, marriages between Congolese and Rwandans are discouraged because of beliefs about responsibility for the violence in eastern Congo.

I have witnessed this firsthand. When my mother reached out to a Congolese woman about partnering on her community farms, the woman’s children objected. They asked, “Why would you partner with a Rwandan when they continue to kill our people?” For them, it did not matter that some Rwandans in the United States have not lived in Rwanda for more than three decades or do not support the current government. While these views do not represent everyone, they illustrate how a conflict thousands of miles away continues to shape lives and relationships in America.

International admiration for Congo’s football team should inspire greater engagement with the realities facing the country they represent. Governments should strengthen diplomatic efforts to implement peace agreements and hold accountable those responsible for fueling violence. Businesses and investors should ensure that Congo’s extraordinary mineral wealth benefits its people rather than financing conflict. News organizations should devote sustained attention to a humanitarian crisis that too often disappears from the headlines.

The resilience displayed by the Leopards reflects the resilience of millions of Congolese who continue to persevere despite decades of war. They deserve more than 90 minutes of applause. They deserve the world’s sustained attention and a genuine commitment to helping secure the peace that has eluded their country for far too long.

When the World Cup ends, the cameras will move on. The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo cannot.

– Whether the world remembers them after the final whistle may prove just as important as what happens on the pitch.

Claudette Nshimiyimana is the former director of the Center for Refugee Advocacy and Support in Providence, and a resident of Coventry, R.I.