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The Central African nation has characterized the European Union's continued minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "evident contradiction" while imposing much broader restrictions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Diplomatic Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's international affairs chief, urged the EU to enact far more severe measures against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the conflict in DRC's eastern territories.

"It represents obvious double standards – I aim to be productive here – that leaves us curious and interested about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to enact sanctions," she declared.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda signed a ceasefire deal in June, mediated by the US and Qatar, aiming to conclude the decades-old dispute.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have continued and a target date to reach a final settlement was missed in August.

UN Report

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

Rwanda has continually refuted assisting M23 and maintains 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 European gathering including both leaders.

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

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 persons and two groups – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility dealing in unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in intensifying the conflict.

Despite these findings of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has rejected demands to cancel a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been verified that Rwanda has been siphoning off Congolese resources" obtained under brutal conditions of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in eastern Congo, obtained via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to support rebel organizations.

Regional Emergency

The violence in Congo's east remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people forced from homes in eastern DRC and 28 million confronting food insecurity, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN assessments.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner ratified the accord with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also attempts to give the United States greater access to African wealth.

She stated that the US remains involved in the peace process and denied suggestions that primary interest was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

European Partnership

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "collaboration based on shared objectives and honoring independence."

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

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