The National Basketball Association has explained that US sanctions against Rwanda’s military were responsible for the removal of the country’s army-backed basketball team, Armée Patriotique Rwandaise (APR), from the 2026 Basketball Africa League (BAL).

According to the BBC on Wednesday, the NBA disclosed the reason following complaints from two US senators who questioned the association’s continued partnership with Rwanda despite sanctions imposed on the country’s army in March 2026.

The sanctions were introduced by the United States over allegations that the Rwandan military was fuelling the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) by supporting the M23 rebel group, which has seized control of large parts of eastern DR Congo.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied supporting the rebels.

In a response to a letter dated October 23 from Democratic Senator Jeffrey Merkley and Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said APR had been withdrawn from the BAL following the US sanctions, according to reports by ESPN.

The NBA also confirmed that the Rwandan club would remain barred from the competition for as long as the sanctions remain in place.

The senators had asked the NBA to reconsider its relationship with the Rwandan team, warning that the association risked “becoming complicit in sportswashing by accepting money from a Rwandan government that systematically abuses human rights”.

They also questioned how the NBA could reconcile its continued partnership with Rwanda with its stated commitment to justice.

APR is one of Rwanda’s leading basketball clubs and represented the country in the BAL in 2024 and 2025, finishing third in the latter edition. The team was replaced by the RSSB Tigers in the 2026 competition.

The BAL, established in partnership between the NBA and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), is a professional pan-African competition featuring 12 clubs from across the continent.

Meanwhile, Rwanda remains an official partner of the league and pays to host its finals at the 10,000-capacity BK Arena in Kigali.

The NBA reportedly receives millions of dollars annually from Rwanda through marketing and partnership agreements.

The development comes amid growing criticism from DR Congo over Rwanda’s international sports partnerships, including agreements involving the NBA, European football clubs and Formula 1.

DR Congo has argued that such partnerships help improve Rwanda’s international image despite the ongoing conflict in eastern DR Congo.

The NBA’s decision to exclude APR from the competition marks a change in its relationship with Rwanda’s army-backed basketball club, although the country’s broader partnership with the African league remains in place.

NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum said the Rwandan team “had been withdrawn” from the BAL following the sanctions imposed earlier in the year, American sports website ESPN reports.

“The APR basketball club would remain barred while the US sanctions are in place.”