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The Central African nation has characterized the European Union's continued minerals partnership with Rwanda as demonstrating "evident hypocrisy" while enforcing far more extensive restrictions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Diplomatic Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, demanded the EU to implement significantly tougher sanctions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in eastern DRC.

"It represents obvious double standards – I want to be constructive here – that makes us questioning and concerned about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to enact sanctions," she declared.

Peace Agreement History

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a conflict resolution in June, mediated by the America and Qatar, aiming to end the long-standing hostilities.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have persisted and a deadline to establish a final settlement was passed without success in August.

UN Report

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

Rwanda has consistently denied assisting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently appealed to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing militants in the DRC during a Brussels event including both leaders.

"This demands you to instruct the M23 troops assisted by your country to stop this escalation, which has already resulted in sufficient casualties," the president declared.

International Restrictions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 individuals and two entities – a rebel organization and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling contraband materials of the metal – for their involvement in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these findings of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has declined requests to suspend a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner described the agreement with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a situation where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" obtained under harsh circumstances of forced labour, involving children.

The United States and various countries have expressed alarm about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in DRC's east, obtained via forced labour, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to support militant factions.

Humanitarian Crisis

The unrest in Congo's east remains one of the world's gravest human catastrophes, with over 7.8 million people forced from homes in eastern DRC and 28 million confronting hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN assessments.

International Engagement

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also seeks to give the United States enhanced entry to African wealth.

She maintained that the US remains participating in the resolution efforts and denied claims that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

European Partnership

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a gathering by emphasizing that the EU wanted "collaboration based on common interests and honoring independence."

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

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been eclipsed by the conflict in Congo's east."