The Foreign Affairs Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, wrote a letter to three international soccer clubs, asking them to stop promoting Rwanda as a tourist destination. The clubs are Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). 

"Rwanda is waging a murderous war in eastern Congo, forcing more than 500,000 people to flee their homes this year. It is unacceptable that a regime involved in such atrocities should benefit from a positive image through partnerships with world-renowned soccer clubs," the Congolese official wrote in her letter.

Kayikwamba Wagner further suggests that Rwanda's "Visit Rwanda" campaign may be funded by the illegal exploitation of mining resources from the DRC. She references a report by the UN Panel of Experts, which claims that at least 150 tonnes of coltan have been fraudulently exported to Rwanda from the DRC.

"Rwanda's plundering of Congolese mineral resources represents a billion dollars injected into the Rwandan economy. Rather than funding the economic development of the DRC, these revenues are used to finance expensive sponsorship deals with European soccer clubs," she argued. "The DRC would like you to put an end to these blood-stained sponsorship agreements with an aggressor country. If not for your conscience, do it for the victims of Rwandan abuse."

The Congolese minister's appeal targets a crucial aspect of Rwandan soft power: sports. Rwanda has already established itself as a host for the Basketball Africa League, the NBA's only African tournament, and has been actively lobbying to host the first African Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1993.

This article was initially published in French by Servan Ahougnon (Ecofin Agency)

Edited in English by Ola Schad Akinocho