Arsenal, the serious accusation

Published:

By: Manu Tournoux

Arsenal was accused of being “directly responsible” for the “misery” of war in the DRC because of his sponsorship contract with Visit Rwanda.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, wrote to European giants Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich to ask them to end their sponsorship contracts with Visit Rwanda. She accused clubs of being ” directly responsible »From the misery of war in the DRC. According to The Telegraph, the DRC said that nearly 500,000 people were sent to the country's eastern part, with 4,000 Rwandan soldiers active in the region alongside the rebel group supported by Rwanda, the M23.

PSG also accused

In his letter addressed to the owners of the Gunners, Stan Kroenke and his son Josh, Wagner writes: “Thousands of people are currently stuck in the city of Goma, with limited access to food, water and safety. Countless lives have been lost; Rapes, murders and thefts are common. Your sponsor is directly responsible for this misery. If this is not the case, for your own conscience, then the clubs should do so for the victims of the Rwandan assault.

“I am writing to question the morality of your club, your supporters and your players, and to know why you continue your relationship with” Visit Rwanda “. While Arsenal played its last game from the first phase of the UEFA Champions League this year (last week), 500,000 additional people were moved to eastern DRC. “”

Visit Rwanda appeared for the first time on the arsenal jerseys in 2018, but the agreement was restructured in 2021 and is now worth 10 million sterling pounds per year for the northern London team. The club argued that the agreement was to promote potential tourism, rather than supporting the country's leaders or any other part of its policy. The Rwandan government has been accused of multiple human rights violations and Visit Rwanda is a government division.