Arsenal defender David Luiz has hailed Rwanda following his trip to the East African country last week, saying he was impressed with the progress made since the 1994 genocide.

The 32-year-old made the visit as part of the country's partnership with the English club.

"Since the first minute I go here, I could see a country with a lot of love. Everybody works together for the environment, for everything. And you can see how they are working together, especially after what happened 25 years ago. You can see that the country is rebuilding again in the right way." Luiz said.

The 1994 Rwanda genocide killed more than one million people and displaced millions more.

The killings were sparked by the murder of former president Juvénal Habyarimana on April 6 1994, whose plane was shot down overhead Kigali.

25 years on, the country is enjoying peace and stability, and is attracting foreign tourists to see it's sights.

Rwanda signed the £30m three-year sponsorship and tourism promotion deal with Arsenal in May 2018, hoping to attract more tourists to the country.

Under the deal, the "Visit Rwanda" logo is emblazoned on the left sleeve on all first team, Under-23 and Arsenal Women's shirts.

The East African country offers various tourist attractions, including lakeside resorts and walks with mountain gorillas.

During his stay in the country, David Luiz had a chance to see the gorillas and other tourist sites. He also got a chance to interact with budding footballers in the country.

"It's great to have this kind of moments with our fans. Sometimes they don's have an opportunity to come to the stadiums and be near us. Now I have done the opposite." he said after his trip.

Back to the U.K. now, David Luiz is expected to be part of the Arsenal squad to play Sheffield United on Monday at Bramall Lane.

The gunners are currently 3rd in the Premier League with 15 points from 8 games. Liverpool top the table with maximum points from an equal number of games.

Source: New Times Rwanda