Despite the Tour of Rwanda starting without issues, the situation at the border between the Land of a Thousand Hills and Congo remains serious. New statements have come from the European Parliament, which has asked the EU to immediately suspend the EU-Rwanda memorandum of understanding on sustainable raw material value chains until Rwanda demonstrates that it has ended its interference and stopped exporting minerals extracted from areas controlled by M23.

Last Thursday, the European Parliament invited the European Union to suspend the raw materials partnership with Rwanda, because it supports the M23 rebellion in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Among various requests, there is also the call to cancel the Cycling World Championships scheduled in Kigali next September. In particular, a note from MEP Hilde Vautmans reads: "The Parliament demands freezing military and security assistance to Rwandan armed forces. We want a complete freeze of all European aid to Rwanda and the cancellation of the Road Cycling World Championships planned in September in Kigali".

The majority in Brussels was strong and the motion was voted with 443 votes in favor and 4 against, numbers that leave no doubt about Europe's intentions. Concern is increasing and in the European Parliament, discussions have been held about the possibility of M23 reaching Kigali, Rwanda's capital.

Returning to the sporting issue, yesterday's Tour of Rwanda prologue was won by a Belgian rider, Aldo Tailleu, who races with Lotto's development team. But now, parents of the riders involved in the race are asking to bring their children back because they are worried about the situation at the Congo border.

The Lotto team arrived in Kigali with 5 riders, Mauro Cuylits (19 years old), Milan Donie (20), Kamiel Eeman (19 years old), Aldo Tailleu (19 years old) and Milan Menten (28 years old) and are accompanied by team manager Kurt Van de Wouver. "I went to Rwanda last year and it was a very positive experience," said Kurt Van de Wouver, "The organization was good, the weather and roads were good. The conditions were ideal and the UCI said it would be safe for us, so there was no valid reason not to go".

These statements came before the Belgian Foreign Affairs Ministry advised against travel to Rwanda, and now the parents of the Lotto development team want their children to return home, avoiding approaching the Congo border. Concerns particularly come from Jo Tailleu, Aldo's father who won yesterday's prologue.

"We trust the team and the UCI, but we hope it wasn't a wrong choice," explained Jo Tailleu to the Antwerp Gazette. In recent days, Rwanda announced the suspension of development cooperation with Belgium due to Brussels' position on the conflict, which will certainly cause repercussions on multiple fronts.

For now, the Cycling World Championships remain in Rwanda, but David Lappartient, president of the International Cycling Union, is already in Rwanda for the Tour of Rwanda and the inauguration of the satellite headquarters of the UCI World Cycling Center. During those days, Lappartient will personally analyze the situation and safety conditions: by consulting with various UCI members and representatives of different national teams, a precise report will be drawn up on potential risks and various costs, which are leading many countries to plan to come to Rwanda with reduced teams.