F1 CRITICIZED FOR PLANNED RWANDA RACE

KINSHASA, Congo — Formula 1 would “polish the image of an authoritarian leader” if it holds an African Grand Prix in Rwanda, the foreign minister of neighbouring Congo, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, said Thursday.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame joined F1 executives on Tuesday to announce a race to be held at a circuit yet to be built at Bugesera, near Rwanda’s capital Kigali, in “the early 2030s,” F1 says. The series last raced in Africa in 1993.

Congo, the United States and United Nations experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23 rebels in eastern Congo. Rwanda says its security measures are intended to protect it against threats from armed groups operating across the border.

Kayikwamba Wagner said Congo backs efforts from South Africa to host a race instead.