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The Democratic Republic of Congo has described the European Union's continued minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "obvious hypocrisy" while enforcing far more extensive penalties in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Government Sharp Rebuke

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

"It represents obvious double standards – I aim to be helpful here – that leaves us questioning and inquisitive about understanding why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to implement measures," she declared.

Peace Agreement Context

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a ceasefire deal in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, designed to resolve the long-standing hostilities.

However, fatal assaults on non-combatants have persisted and a time limit to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement was not met in August.

UN Report

Last year, a international assessment team reported 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 claims its forces act in self-protection.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing armed groups in the DRC during a international conference including both leaders.

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

European Measures

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 persons and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling contraband materials of the metal – for their role in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these determinations of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has resisted requests to terminate a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been established that Rwanda has been siphoning off African wealth" extracted under harsh circumstances of forced labour, involving children.

The United States and many others have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, mined via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for international trade to support armed groups.

Regional Emergency

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

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner signed the deal with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also attempts to give the United States enhanced entry to African wealth.

She stated that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and denied claims that main concern was the DRC's significant natural resources.

EU Cooperation

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a summit by stating that the EU wanted "partnerships based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner acknowledged that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been eclipsed by the conflict in eastern DRC."