Nakivale : football unites refugees despite political divides

SOS Médias Burundi

Nakivale, September 21, 2025 – The Nakivale Football Association has launched an inter-team tournament in the refugee camp, located in southwest Uganda. The objective : combating juvenile delinquency and strengthening social cohesion between refugee communities.

A dozen teams are participating, notably from Burundi, the DRC, and Somalia. The competition began last week and is already attracting large crowds.

A powerful quote

A Burundian refugee is delighted by a striking fact observed during the matches :
“The Congolese refugees were divided into two groups : pro-government and pro-opposition. But this weekend, they supported a single team and sat side by side, whereas before they would have glared at each other,” he says, emphasizing the tournament’s role in social cohesion.

Preventing youth abuses

According to the organizers, the tournament aims to steer young people away from risky behaviors : unwanted pregnancies, alcohol consumption, cannabis use, and other practices linked to delinquency. “Seeing how players and fans of all nationalities participate, the tournament also plays an important role in uniting and cohesively among refugees,” comments a local leader.

Fair play and fraternity

During the match between Bukavu Dawa and Sangano, won 2–0 by the Congolese team, the supporters were surprised by their reaction : “All the fans congratulated the winning team,” says the chairman of the New Congo village, who did not expect such a friendly and fraternal gesture.

A daily event

Matches are played every evening on the pitch in the village of New Congo. The tournament is still in its preliminary phase, but it is already attracting enthusiastic fans.

The Nakivale camp hosts more than 150,000 refugees, including approximately 33,000 Burundians. There are also communities from Somalia, Rwanda, the DRC, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.