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The DRC has labeled the European Union's persistent minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "evident contradiction" while imposing far more extensive penalties in response to the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister's Sharp Rebuke

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

"This shows obvious inconsistency – I strive to be helpful here – that makes us curious and concerned about grasping why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to take action," she emphasized.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a peace agreement in June, brokered by the US and Qatar, intending to resolve the decades-old hostilities.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have endured and a time limit to establish a final settlement was missed in August.

UN Report

Last year, a international assessment team stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected backing M23 and maintains its forces act in national security.

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 Brussels event featuring both leaders.

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

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two organizations – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their role in prolonging the conflict.

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

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been diverting DRC minerals" obtained under brutal conditions of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about illicit commerce in mineral resources in DRC's east, mined via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for export to finance rebel organizations.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million facing food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN reports.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the agreement with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also attempts to give the United States expanded opportunity to Congolese natural resources.

She maintained that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and rejected suggestions that main concern was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and honoring independence."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – joining the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

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