After eight controversial years, Arsenal Football Club has officially ended its sleeve sponsorship deal with “Visit Rwanda,” a tourism campaign funded by the Rwandan government. The decision, announced this week, comes after months of growing pressure from human rights groups, Congolese officials, and even Arsenal’s own fanbase, many of whom have loudly condemned the sponsorship as a form of “sportswashing” Rwanda’s complicity in atrocities in eastern Congo.

“Arsenal is sponsoring Rwanda. Visit Rwanda is sponsoring war in Congo!”- chanted by Arsenal fans outside the Emirates Stadium

A People-Powered Victory for Congo

This move follows a February 2025 letter from the Congolese government, which demanded that Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain sever all ties with Rwanda. The letter cited overwhelming evidence that Rwanda is backing the M23 rebel group, responsible for mass killings, rape, forced displacement, and the illegal occupation of towns like Goma and Rutshuru in North Kivu.

In April, a group of Arsenal supporters launched a public campaign denouncing the deal. They unfurled banners, created mock billboards (“Visit Tottenham”), and even started a £10 million crowdfund to offer Arsenal a clean financial exit. Their message: no club should profit from a regime accused of war crimes.

The result? Arsenal listened.

The Blood Price of Sponsorship

The now-terminated deal, worth an estimated £10 million a year, had branded “Visit Rwanda” across Arsenal’s sleeves and promotional materials since 2018. But critics have long said the sponsorship was a PR cover for a brutal regime.

Rwanda, under President Paul Kagame, has been accused by the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and several governments of directly supporting the M23, a militia responsible for:

• Executing civilians