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The Democratic Republic of Congo has characterized the European Union's persistent minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "clear hypocrisy" while imposing far more extensive sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Government Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, called for the EU to enact far more severe sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the violence in eastern DRC.

"This shows clear inconsistency – I want to be helpful here – that has us curious and interested about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she stated.

Peace Agreement Background

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a ceasefire deal in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, designed to resolve the decades-old dispute.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have endured and a deadline to establish a comprehensive peace agreement 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 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in national security.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to militants in the DRC during a Brussels event attended by both leaders.

"This necessitates you to order the M23 troops backed by your country to end this deterioration, which has already led to numerous casualties," Tshisekedi stated.

International Restrictions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two entities – a militant group and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these findings of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has declined demands to terminate a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner characterized the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a context where it has been established that Rwanda has been siphoning off African wealth" extracted under brutal conditions of forced labour, including children.

The United States and various countries have voiced apprehension about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in DRC's east, mined via forced labour, then trafficked to Rwanda for shipment to finance militant factions.

Humanitarian Crisis

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million facing hunger issues, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN reports.

Diplomatic Efforts

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

She stated that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and denied suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a conference by declaring that the EU wanted "partnerships based on common interests and respect for sovereignty."

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

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