Congo's Call: Ending 'Blood-Stained' Sponsorships Amid Crisis

Congo's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, urges global soccer clubs to cut ties with Rwanda-backed sponsorships amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Wagner's plea highlights severe human rights abuses linked to Rwanda's alleged role in Congo's conflict and questions the morality of lucrative marketing agreements.

In a stern admonition, the Democratic Republic of Congo's foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, has urged high-profile soccer clubs Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris St Germain to sever their 'blood-stained' sponsorships with 'Visit Rwanda'. This plea follows an intensifying humanitarian crisis in the region.

The DR Congo health ministry recently reported nearly 800 bodies in hospital morgues in Goma, amid an offensive by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. This conflict has further aggravated the enduring crisis, leading to mass displacements and grievous human rights violations, as noted by the United Nations.

Minister Wagner has reached out to these clubs, questioning the ethics of their deals, given the U.N. findings of Rwandan military presence in Congo. Her letters emphasize that thousands remain trapped in Goma under dire conditions. She decries the sponsorship's contribution to the suffering and urges the clubs to act for the victims.

(With inputs from agencies.)