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The Democratic Republic of Congo has described the European Union's continued minerals agreement with Rwanda as showing "clear double standards" while imposing much broader penalties in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Foreign Minister's Firm Condemnation

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

"This demonstrates obvious hypocrisy – I strive to be constructive here – that makes us curious and concerned about grasping why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to enact sanctions," she stated.

Conflict Resolution History

The DRC and Rwanda signed a conflict resolution in June, facilitated by the United States and Qatar, aiming to conclude the long-standing hostilities.

However, fatal assaults on civilians have continued and a target date to establish a lasting resolution was missed in August.

UN Report

Last year, a United Nations panel stated 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 consistently denied supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Leadership Call

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing rebel forces in the DRC during a international conference attended by both leaders.

"This necessitates you to order the M23 troops assisted by your country to stop this intensification, which has already led to enough fatalities," the leader emphasized.

International Restrictions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two groups – a militant group and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling unauthorized sources of the metal – for their participation in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these findings of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has declined requests to terminate a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner characterized the agreement with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a situation where it has been established that Rwanda has been diverting Congolese resources" extracted under severe situations of coerced employment, involving children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about illegal trade in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, obtained via coerced employment, then illegally transported to Rwanda for export to support rebel organizations.

Regional Emergency

The violence in Congo's east remains one of the world's worst emergency situations, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million experiencing food insecurity, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN reports.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the agreement with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also aims to give the United States enhanced entry to African wealth.

She stated that the US remains participating in the peace process and dismissed suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

European Partnership

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She featured the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – linking the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "much has been eclipsed by the situation in eastern DRC."