🔗 Share this article

The Democratic Republic of Congo has labeled the European Union's continued minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "clear contradiction" while implementing significantly wider restrictions in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Government Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's foreign minister, urged the EU to enact significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the violence in DRC's eastern territories.

"This shows clear hypocrisy – I strive to be constructive here – that has us questioning and interested about grasping why the EU again struggles so much to take action," she emphasized.

Ceasefire Deal Context

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

However, lethal incidents on non-combatants have persisted and a target date to reach a comprehensive peace agreement was passed without success in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a international assessment team stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected assisting M23 and claims its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to armed groups in the DRC during a international conference featuring both leaders.

"This demands you to command the M23 troops supported by your country to end this intensification, which has already resulted in enough casualties," the president declared.

International Restrictions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 persons 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 human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has resisted demands to cancel a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" obtained under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, including children.

The United States and various countries have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in gold and tantalum in Congo's eastern region, mined via coerced employment, then illegally transported to Rwanda for export to finance militant factions.

Humanitarian Crisis

The unrest in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people relocated within country in the region and 28 million facing food insecurity, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN reports.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner signed the deal with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also aims to give the United States enhanced entry to African wealth.

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

EU Cooperation

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "partnerships based on shared objectives and honoring independence."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – joining the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner admitted that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been diminished by the crisis in eastern DRC."