DRC amputee football tournament offers hope and a path to recovery

In Uvira, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the ball rolls between crutches and able-bodied legs. On the pitch, players sprint, compete for possession and celebrate their goals. It is an ordinary football scene, with one difference: all the participants are amputees.

From 23 to 25 September, Uvira hosted the first national amputee football tournament. Players from North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika gathered for three days of competition. Beyond the matches, the tournament provided a space for connection and recovery for athletes whose lives have often been shaped by violence and armed conflict.

For Félix Bisengimana, a player from North Kivu, football now gives him a reason to look to the future. But behind his jersey lies a painful story.

“When the war broke out, I fled with our soldiers. We took refuge in a banana plantation. That is where a bomb fell on us. The shrapnel severed my leg,” he said.

Like him, several players in Uvira carry the scars of violence that has marked their lives. Amputation has transformed their daily routines, their mobility and, at times, their relationship with the world around them. For some, it meant learning again how to walk, work and live under the gaze of others.

Football now offers them a different space: one where they can define themselves by more than their disability.

On the pitch, the players focus on the game. They run with their crutches, look for their teammates and take their chances in front of goal. Cheers rise from the stands. For a few hours, the competition takes precedence over memories of war.

For Ngongo Lambert, captain of the Tanganyika team, the experience has a special meaning.

“I feel like I am being reborn, despite my disability. Today, I feel free, at peace and completely fulfilled thanks to football,” he said.

In a region where the consequences of conflict remain visible, this first national competition also aims to change perceptions of people with disabilities.

Eastern DRC continues to face armed violence and population displacement. In this context, war injuries have left many people with lasting physical disabilities. But beyond medical care and rehabilitation, their social reintegration is also a major challenge.

For Betty Myangindula Mbenza, president of the Congolese National Paralympic Committee, the tournament should help players regain confidence and demonstrate their abilities.

“It is also an opportunity for them to value themselves, showcase their talents and, why not, inspire other young people with disabilities who can take part in sport,” she said.

The objective is therefore twofold: to enable athletes to practise their sport and to give greater visibility to sport for people with disabilities in the DRC.

The first edition of the tournament was supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross. For the humanitarian organisation, which assists many people affected by conflict, sport is an additional tool for promoting inclusion.

“Ninety percent of our beneficiaries are victims of armed conflict. They are players or young people who have been affected by armed conflict. We want to promote inclusion through sport,” explained Eva Bonjele, a disability inclusion adviser at the ICRC in the DRC.

The organisation chose in particular to support the National Paralympic Committee in organising this first national amputee football competition.

But the initiative also highlights the challenges that sport for people with disabilities continues to face in the DRC.

Five provinces were initially expected to take part in the tournament. Due to a lack of resources, only three were ultimately able to travel to Uvira. The reduced participation highlights the logistical and financial constraints faced by athletes with disabilities, particularly in a country where distances between provinces are considerable.

For the organisers and players, the challenge now is to keep the initiative going beyond this first edition.

Because behind the matches and the results lies a deeper determination: to help these athletes reclaim their place in society and show younger people that amputation does not mean the end of an active life.

In Uvira, for three days, they played to win. But they also played to be seen, recognised and heard.

They ran with their crutches, scored goals, applauded their teammates and faced their opponents. On this pitch, their disability was no longer something to hide. It was part of their story, but it did not define their future.

The tournament has ended, but the message carried by these players remains unchanged: losing a limb does not mean losing their dreams, their talents or their place in society.