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The DRC has labeled the European Union's persistent minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "clear double standards" while enforcing much broader restrictions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister's Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's international affairs chief, demanded the EU to impose significantly tougher sanctions against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the conflict in eastern DRC.

"This shows evident inconsistency – I aim to be constructive here – that leaves us curious and concerned about grasping why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she stated.

Ceasefire Deal Background

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, brokered by the US and Qatar, intending to conclude the protracted dispute.

However, fatal assaults on civilians have endured and a time limit to reach a lasting resolution was missed in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a United Nations panel found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

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

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing armed groups in the DRC during a Brussels event featuring both leaders.

"This necessitates you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to stop this deterioration, which has already led to numerous deaths," the president declared.

EU Sanctions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 individuals and two organizations – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility processing unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in intensifying the conflict.

Despite these determinations of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has rejected demands to suspend a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner characterized the agreement with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a situation where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been diverting Congolese resources" extracted under severe situations of compulsory work, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have expressed alarm about illegal trade in gold and tantalum in DRC's east, obtained via compulsory work, then illegally transported to Rwanda for shipment to finance armed groups.

Humanitarian Crisis

The violence in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's most severe human catastrophes, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million facing hunger issues, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner ratified the deal with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also seeks to give the United States expanded opportunity to DRC minerals.

She stated that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and denied claims that primary interest was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and acknowledging autonomy."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – joining the mining regions 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 diminished by the situation in the troubled region."