Call for Arsenal, PSG and Bayern to end Visit Rwanda deals

Di Democratic Republic of Congo don tell Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain to end dia "blood stained" sponsorship deals wit Visit Rwanda sake of di humanitarian crisis wey dey worse for di kontri.

Di appeal dey comes as M23 rebels bin capture Goma, di largest city for eastern DR Congo, while di United Nations' refugee agency estimate say more dan 400,000 pipo dey forced from dia homes dis year.

A group of UN experts maintain say di Rwandan army dey in "de facto control of M23 operations".

DR Congo Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner don write to di owners of Arsenal and PSG and to Bayern president Herbert Hainer to "kwesion di morality" of di deals.

She bin highlight how Visit Rwanda sponsorship fit dey funded by di illicit mining of blood minerals for di parts of DR Congo wey dem don occupy, bifor dem transport am across di border and export am from Rwanda.

For her letter to Arsenal, Kayikwamba Wagner tok say Rwanda "culpability" for di ongoing conflict "don becom incontrovertible" afta di UN report say 4,000 Rwandan troops dey active for DRC.

"Time don reach for Arsenal to end di blood-stained sponsorship deals wit dis oppressor nation. If not for your own consciences, den make di clubs do am for di victims of Rwandan aggression," she write.

Dem don contact Arsenal, PSG, Bayern Munich and Visit Rwanda for comment.

Why di Visit Rwanda deals dey controversial?

Di Visit Rwanda campaign don successfully raise di east African kontri profile but Rwanda goment dey face accuse of investing in sport to enhance dia global image - wey be strategy wey dey labelled by critics as 'sportswashing'.

One sleeve partnership wit Arsenal start in 2018, wit di latest sponsorship wey worth more dan £10m ($12.39 million) per year.

Dem bin agree on di sponsorship wit PSG di following year, and Bayern Munich bin sign a five-year football development and tourism promotion partnership wit Rwanda in 2023.

Meanwhile, Rwanda President Paul Kagame don announce a bid to host di Formula 1 race and Kigali dey set to be di venue for cycling World Road Championships in September.

On Friday di UCI, di world governing body for cycling, say dem no get to comot di race from Rwanda.

Di Central Africa director for Human Rights Watch, one campaign group wey ey investigate and report on cases of abuse around di globe, says these deals and events help hide Rwanda's "yeye track record" on human rights.

"Rwanda get major weakness wit due process wey dey violate dia own internal laws or international standards," HRW Lewis Mudge bin tell BBC Sport Africa last month.

"Increasingly we dey see di space for freedom of expression, for some degree of political autonomy, e dey actually shrink."

Di Rwandan goment don dismiss accusations of sportswashing, wit dia chief tourism officer Irene Murerwa wey c tall dem "a distraction" from di "amazing and outstanding achievements di kontri don make".

Wetin be di latest for eastern DR Congo?

Di UN say at least 700 pipo don die sake of serious fighting in Goma since Sunday.

UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric say 2,800 pipo wound, as M23 rebels -wey Rwanda dey support - bin capture di capital of North Kivu province.

According to reports, di rebels don dey waka go south towards Bukavu, di capital of South Kivu.

Di conflict in eastern DR Congo start around di 1990s but e don serious well-well in recent weeks.

M23, wey dey made up of ethnic Tutsis, say dem dey fight for minority rights, while DR Congo goment says di rebels wey Rwanda-dey support want to get control of di eastern region wey get plenti mineral wealth.

Authorities for Kigali don deny direct military involvement for di katakata, dem dey insist say dia troops only dey along di border to protect dia territory and civilians.