Rwanda says DRC criticism of Arsenal, Bayern and PSG deals threatens regional peace

Rwanda on Thursday described recent criticism of its Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain football sponsorship deals by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s foreign minister as a threat to regional peace and stability.

Earlier this month, DRC's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, urged the three prominent European clubs to end their "blood-stained" sponsorship agreements with "Visit Rwanda," questioning the morality of such partnerships while fighting raged in eastern Congo.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized key parts of eastern DR Congo in recent weeks, in what is the gravest escalation in more than a decade of a long-running conflict rooted in the spillover into Congo of Rwanda's 1994 genocide and the struggle for control of Congo's vast mineral resources.

"The Government of Rwanda rejects recent attempts by the Democratic Republic of Congo to undermine Rwanda’s international partnerships through misinformation and political pressure," Rwanda Development Board, which oversees the deals, said in a statement on Thursday.

"These efforts not only misrepresent the truth but also threaten the foundations of regional peace, stability, and economic cooperation that we have worked tirelessly to build."

Congo's foreign affairs minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment on WhatsApp.

The fighting in eastern Congo has led to human rights violations including summary executions, the bombing of displacement camps, reports of gang rape and other sexual violence, according to the United Nations.

Rwanda says it is defending itself, accusing Congo's military of joining forces with ethnic Hutu-led militias bent on slaughtering Tutsis in Congo and threatening Rwanda, where Hutus targeted Tutsis in a 1994 genocide and some of them later fled to Congo.

"Visit Rwanda" began their sponsorship of Arsenal in 2018, with the latest deal reported to be worth more than $12 million per year.

Bayern Munich signed a five-year football development and tourism promotion partnership with Rwanda in 2023, while "Visit Rwanda" has been a sponsor of PSG since 2019.

Reuters previously contacted the three clubs about the sponsorship deals but none replied.