🔗 Share this article

The DRC has described the European Union's continued minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "obvious hypocrisy" while imposing significantly wider sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Government Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's international affairs chief, called for the EU to enact significantly tougher measures against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"It represents clear double standards – I strive to be constructive here – that has us questioning and concerned about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she stated.

Peace Agreement Context

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, facilitated by the America and Qatar, designed to conclude the long-standing conflict.

However, lethal incidents on ordinary citizens have persisted and a target date to establish a final settlement was missed in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a group of UN experts reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted assisting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to armed groups in the DRC during a European gathering featuring both leaders.

"This necessitates you to command the M23 troops supported by your country to end this intensification, which has already caused sufficient fatalities," the president declared.

European Measures

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 individuals and two entities – a rebel organization and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling unauthorized sources of the metal – for their participation in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these determinations of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted demands to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been diverting DRC minerals" obtained under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, affecting children.

The United States and various countries have voiced apprehension about unauthorized transactions in mineral resources in eastern Congo, extracted via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for shipment to finance militant factions.

Regional Emergency

The conflict in Congo's east remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million confronting food insecurity, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner signed the accord with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also seeks to give the United States expanded opportunity to DRC minerals.

She maintained that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and rejected allegations that main concern was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a conference by declaring that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She featured the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "much has been overshadowed by the conflict in eastern DRC."