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The DRC has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals partnership with Rwanda as exhibiting "evident hypocrisy" while imposing significantly wider penalties in response to the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister's Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, called for the EU to impose much stronger sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"This shows obvious hypocrisy – I strive to be productive here – that makes us questioning and concerned about understanding why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to implement measures," she declared.

Conflict Resolution Background

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, mediated by the US and Qatar, designed to end the decades-old dispute.

However, deadly attacks on non-combatants have persisted and a target date to reach a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

International Findings

Last year, a international assessment team found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied assisting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Diplomatic Request

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

"This requires you to order the M23 troops assisted by your country to end this escalation, which has already resulted in enough deaths," Tshisekedi stated.

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 individuals and two entities – a militant group and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in unauthorized sources of the metal – for their participation in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these findings of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has declined demands to cancel a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a situation where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" extracted under severe situations of forced labour, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about illicit commerce in mineral resources in Congo's eastern region, obtained via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to finance rebel organizations.

Human Catastrophe

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million facing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN reports.

International Engagement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also attempts to give the United States greater access to African wealth.

She asserted that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and dismissed suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a summit by stating that the EU wanted "partnerships based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She featured the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – linking the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been eclipsed by the situation in the troubled region."