🔗 Share this article

The Democratic Republic of Congo has described the European Union's continued minerals agreement with Rwanda as exhibiting "clear hypocrisy" while imposing significantly wider sanctions in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Foreign Minister's Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's top diplomat, urged the EU to enact much stronger measures against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the violence in Congo's eastern region.

"This shows evident hypocrisy – I want to be helpful here – that leaves us wondering and concerned about grasping why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to take action," she declared.

Ceasefire Deal History

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a peace agreement in June, facilitated by the America and Qatar, aiming to resolve the long-standing dispute.

However, fatal assaults on civilians have continued and a time limit to establish a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

UN Report

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

Rwanda has continually refuted assisting M23 and claims its forces act in self-defence.

Leadership Call

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting militants in the DRC during a international conference featuring both leaders.

"This requires you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to stop this intensification, which has already resulted in enough deaths," the leader emphasized.

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 persons and two entities – a rebel organization and a Rwandan gold refiner handling contraband materials of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these determinations of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has rejected calls to terminate a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the agreement with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a situation where it has been verified that Rwanda has been diverting Congolese resources" extracted under severe situations of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and various countries have voiced apprehension about illicit commerce in precious metals in DRC's east, obtained via compulsory work, then illegally transported to Rwanda for international trade to finance armed groups.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's gravest human catastrophes, with more than 7.8 million people relocated within country in the region and 28 million facing hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also aims to give the United States expanded opportunity to Congolese natural resources.

She stated that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and denied claims that main concern was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "collaboration based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – joining the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner acknowledged that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been diminished by the crisis in Congo's east."