🔗 Share this article

The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals agreement with Rwanda as demonstrating "evident hypocrisy" while enforcing far more extensive penalties in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Diplomatic Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's top diplomat, demanded the EU to implement significantly tougher sanctions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the unrest in eastern DRC.

"This shows obvious double standards – I aim to be helpful here – that makes us wondering and interested about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she declared.

Ceasefire Deal History

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, brokered by the America and Qatar, designed to end the protracted dispute.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have endured and a deadline to establish a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

International Findings

Last year, a United Nations panel stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected supporting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

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

"This demands you to instruct the M23 troops backed by your country to end this intensification, which has already resulted in enough casualties," the president declared.

European Measures

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 persons and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan gold refiner processing unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in intensifying the conflict.

Despite these findings of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted demands to suspend a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner labeled the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting African wealth" obtained under brutal conditions of coerced employment, affecting children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about illegal trade in mineral resources in Congo's eastern region, mined via forced labour, then illegally transported to Rwanda for international trade to finance militant factions.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in eastern DRC remains one of the world's worst emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people forced from homes in the region and 28 million facing food insecurity, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also aims to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She stated that the US remains engaged in the peace process and dismissed allegations that sole motivation was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

European Partnership

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a conference by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on common interests and honoring independence."

She featured the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

Wagner admitted that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been diminished by the situation in the troubled region."