The Canadian government has announced it will send a small delegation of athletes and artists to the Francophonie Games, which begin next week in Kinshasa, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), after expressing doubts about security concerns.

“As a founding country and an active and committed member of La Francophonie, Canada will be sending a Canadian delegation to the La Francophonie Games in Kinshasa. I wish Team Canada the best of luck and would like to thank the Democratic Republic of the Congo for their significant efforts in preparing and hosting this event,” Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said in a statement on Thursday.

The duty reported that Canada was reluctant to give the green light to its participation in the event, which will be held from July 28 to August 6, due to security risks in Kinshasa. For its part, the Quebec government has refrained from sending its artists and athletes. Belgium’s Wallonia-Brussels Federation announced last Friday that it would also be sending a reduced delegation.

Ottawa will only send about sixty people to the DRC, including about fifteen athletes competing in only two disciplines, judo and wrestling, in the women’s and men’s divisions. In addition to the sports delegates, around fifteen artists will be present; in singing, storytelling, painting, creative dance and hip hop dance.

Diplomats and security personnel will also travel, but no ministers. Canada and New Brunswick will be represented in the delegation, but not Quebec, which is only sending diplomats.

The federal government, long reluctant to attend these games, hired a private security firm to protect members of its delegation. They are entitled to a SIM card for their smartphone and can be geolocated via an application and asked for help if necessary.

It was the Department of Canadian Heritage that announced the decision to participate in the Francophonie Games on Thursday morning, eight days before their start. The ministry confirmed this on Wednesday evening Duty Unable to confirm that a delegation was being sent to Kinshasa, he instead referred the question to Global Affairs Canada, which did not respond.

The Canadian government recommends in its travel tips to avoid all non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to the current political and security situation.

The government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently announced that it has taken measures to combat urban banditry and curb kidnapping cases. In 2017, around 3,500 participants were welcomed in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for the last edition of the La Francophonie Games. The IXs^Are The Games of Francophonie have the themes of Justice, Solidarity, Excellence, Responsibility and Diversity.

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