🔗 Share this article

The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's continued minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "clear hypocrisy" while implementing significantly wider sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Government Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's foreign minister, called for the EU to impose significantly tougher sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the conflict in Congo's eastern region.

"It represents clear inconsistency – I strive to be productive here – that leaves us curious and interested about understanding why the EU continues to hesitate so much to take action," she stated.

Conflict Resolution History

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a ceasefire deal in June, facilitated by the United States and Qatar, intending to resolve the decades-old conflict.

However, lethal incidents on ordinary citizens have endured and a target date to reach a comprehensive peace agreement was not met in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied backing M23 and asserts its forces act in national security.

Leadership Call

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing militants in the DRC during a international conference attended by both leaders.

"This demands you to order the M23 troops supported by your country to end this escalation, which has already caused numerous deaths," the leader emphasized.

EU Sanctions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two entities – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling contraband materials of the metal – for their involvement in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has resisted demands to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" obtained under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and various countries have expressed alarm about illegal trade in mineral resources in DRC's east, mined via forced labour, then illegally transported to Rwanda for international trade to finance militant factions.

Human Catastrophe

The violence in Congo's east remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with over 7.8 million people forced from homes in eastern DRC and 28 million confronting food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN reports.

International Engagement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner ratified the deal with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also aims to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She asserted that the US remains participating in the peace process and dismissed suggestions that main concern was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

International Collaboration

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

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

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