Amid tense relations between Rwanda and DR Congo, renowned Congolese singer Mohombi has been caught up in a fake news scandal, after he shared on his Twitter account a fake announcement.
The undated announcement, claiming to be from the office of the Rwandan Prime Minister, was circulated on social media on Wednesday, January 25, mainly by Congolese accounts.
It followed the violation of Rwanda’s airspace by a Congolese warplane on Tuesday.
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Mohombi later deleted the fake announcement, quietly.
Among other falsehoods, the statement said the Rwandan Prime Minister condemned the illegal occupation of territory by the Congolese army.
The Office of the Rwanda Government Spokesperson later labelled the announcement as FAKE and reminded the public that official statements from the Prime Minister’s Office are shared on its Twitter handle and on the website.
https://twitter.com/RwandaOGS/status/1618317581911490560
The Congolese musician, who has Swedish nationality, is known for hits like "Bumpy Ride” and "Coconut Tree” which features famous American singer Nicole Scherzinger.
Mohombi, 36, was born in Kinshasa, the Congolese capital and grew up in Stockholm, Sweden.
He was last in Rwanda in May 2021, during the Basketball Africa League (BAL) games.