Pressure Mounts on Arsenal to Ditch Controversial “Visit Rwanda” Deal

Arsenal Under Fire as Fans Demand Club End 'Visit Rwanda' Deal Over Congo Conflict

London, UK — English Premier League giants Arsenal are facing mounting pressure from their own supporters to abandon their high-profile partnership with Visit Rwanda, a tourism brand associated with the regime of Rwandan President Paul Kagame.

The call comes amid renewed allegations of Rwanda’s support for the M23 rebel group, which has been wreaking havoc in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a conflict that has displaced over a million civilians and triggered UN investigations.

According to a report by CityAM, Arsenal and Visit Rwanda are in advanced talks to renew their £10 million-a-year sponsorship deal. But a passionate fan movement, Gunners For Peace, has urged the club’s board to rethink.

“The Rwandan government has blood on its hands, and we don’t want it on our sleeves,” the fans wrote in an open letter.

Football Meets Human Rights

The controversy touches on a deeper moral issue: should football clubs, whose values are rooted in community, fairness, and unity, accept money from regimes accused of crimes against humanity?

In a UN report released earlier this year, Rwanda was named as a key backer of the M23 militia, an armed group responsible for war crimes, massacres, and looting in eastern Congo.

Despite Rwanda’s denials, the international consensus continues to grow around its destabilizing role in the region, a narrative that Arsenal now finds itself entangled in.

A Fan Revolt Arsenal Can’t Ignore

Gunners For Peace, backed by a recent Arsenal Supporters’ Trust survey showing 90% opposition to the Rwanda deal, isn't pulling punches. The group has already launched satirical campaigns mocking the partnership, including a spoof “Visit Tottenham” campaign and a new list of alternative sleeve sponsors that humorously point to Arsenal’s rivals.

“Anything’s better than Visit Rwanda,” they argue. “Our club shouldn’t be used to sanitize war crimes.”

Arsenal fans are not alone in their concerns. Bayern Munich scaled back its own partnership with Visit Rwanda earlier this year amid rising political scrutiny.

Kagame's Sportswashing Strategy

The Kagame regime, known for repressing dissent and extending power through military force, has long used sports as a vehicle to improve its global image.

From Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid, to hosting NBA Africa games, cycling tours, and bidding for Formula 1, Rwanda is aggressively pushing a “brand-washing” campaign, one that now risks backfiring.

“This isn’t tourism,” said a Congolese analyst. “This is a PR smokescreen to distract from atrocities in the Congo.”

Congo Speaks Out

For many in the DRC, Arsenal’s flirtation with Rwanda is not just unethical, it’s painful.

“The blood of Congolese children is funding Arsenal's sleeve sponsor,” said one activist on social media. “And the world pretends it’s just football.”

The Tshisekedi government has consistently denounced Rwanda’s military aggression and its economic interest in Congo’s minerals via proxy militias like M23.

This growing fan-led pushback may finally put pressure on global brands to choose ethics over sponsorships.