Nigerian international superstar Tems has canceled her upcoming concert in Rwanda amidst the current tension between the country and South Africa over the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The singer made this announcement on her X account on January 30 in a move that has been praised by both South African and DRC fans.
In the post, the Grammy winner shared that she promoted her Kigali concert ignorant of the ongoing crisis between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The 29-year-old star apologised if her actions appeared insensitive to the current political climate while also sharing a thought for all those affected by the conflict.
"So I recently promoted my show in Rwanda without realising that there is ongoing conflict between Rwanda and Congo. I never ever intend to be insensitive to real-world issues, and I sincerely apologize if this came across that way. I simply had no idea this was going on. My heart goes out to those affected. Conflict is no joke and I truly hope and pray for peace in this time."
The canceled concert was meant to be part of the world tour of her debut album 'Born In The Wild' which has seen her sell-out venues.
Rwanda is currently facing tensions with South Africa over the country's support of the M23 Rebel Group trying to dislodge the DRC government.
Fellow South Africans,
— Cyril Ramaphosa ???????? (@CyrilRamaphosa) January 29, 2025
Following the recent intensification of fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Africa has lost 13 brave soldiers who were dedicated to their mission and committed to peace. The fighting is the result of an escalation by the rebelā¦
In a recent post on X, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the death of over a dozen of the nation's soldiers who lost their lives in peace peacekeeping effort in DRC.
I held two conversations this week with President Ramaphosa on the situation in Eastern DRC, including earlier today. What has been said about these conversations in the media by South African officials and President Ramaphosa himself contains a lot of distortion, deliberateā¦ https://t.co/i78aqtVjpr
— Paul Kagame (@PaulKagame) January 29, 2025
In the post, Ramaphosa referred to the Rwanda military as a Militia to which the country's president Paul Kagame responded with a statement that conveyed Rwanda's readiness to engage South Africa in whatever context it chooses.