SOS Médias Burundi

Mahama, August 18, 2025 – From August 11 to 17, the Mahama refugee camp in eastern Rwanda hosted the inter-camp tournament, bringing together teams from all refugee sites across the country. After a week of intense competition, the host camp dominated the competition, taking first place.

Seven trophies were at stake in six disciplines : football, basketball, volleyball, karate, and sitball. At least seven camps took part in this highly anticipated sporting event : Mahama, Nyabiheke, Mugombwa, Kiziba, Kigeme, Nkamira, Gashora, as well as urban refugees from Kigali and Nyamata.

Surprises and incidents

The tournament offered its share of surprises. In football, the Kigeme team inflicted a crushing defeat on the Kigali team with a resounding 11-0 score. Another notable incident : some players from the Gashora transit center—which hosts refugees from Libya—and those from Kigali and Nyamata refused to eat the food served in the Mahama camp. They went to nearby restaurants, returning drunk and unable to play their match the next day, which they lost by forfeit. « It’s laxity on the part of their coach; these undisciplined players spoiled the show, » lamented a Mahama football fan.

Finals played in the rain

Despite pouring rain, the semifinals and finals were played in front of tens of thousands of spectators, refugees and Rwandan residents of the host community.

In football, Mahama beat Nyabiheke (1-0).

In women’s basketball, Mahama dominated another team from the camp (76-51).

In men’s basketball, Nyabiheke defeated Mugombwa (71-62).

In men’s volleyball, Mugombwa defeated Mahama (3 sets to 0).

In sitball, Mahama won by one point against Mugombwa (34-33).

The tournament was supervised by official referees from Ferwafa (Rwandan Football Federation), a guarantee of credibility for the participants.

Winners

In the overall standings, Mahama ranks first with four gold and four silver medals, followed by Mugombwa (two gold and two silver medals) and Kiziba (one gold and one silver medal). Last place went to Kigeme, who took home a bronze medal.

Mahama’s team also received a prize of one million Rwanda francs, while the second place was awarded 500,000 Rwanda francs.

A goal achieved

The Rwandan government, the UNHCR, and several humanitarian NGOs, organizers of the event, welcomed the success of the tournament, which was funded to the tune of 144 million Rwanda francs.

According to them, the objective of these games—to promote integration, mutual aid, and love among refugees from different backgrounds—was largely achieved, given the mobilization of more than 135,000 refugees, mainly Congolese, living in camps in Rwanda.