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The Democratic Republic of Congo has characterized the European Union's persistent minerals partnership with Rwanda as exhibiting "clear contradiction" while enforcing much broader sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Diplomatic Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's top diplomat, called for the EU to enact far more severe measures against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in DRC's eastern territories.

"It represents evident inconsistency – I want to be productive here – that has us curious and inquisitive about comprehending why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to take action," she emphasized.

Peace Agreement Background

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a peace agreement in June, mediated by the America and Qatar, intending to resolve the protracted dispute.

However, deadly attacks on non-combatants have endured and a target date to reach a comprehensive peace agreement was missed in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing rebel forces in the DRC during a Brussels event featuring both leaders.

"This necessitates you to instruct the M23 troops assisted by your country to stop this deterioration, which has already resulted in numerous casualties," the leader emphasized.

EU Sanctions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 people and two entities – a armed faction and a Rwandan gold refiner dealing in unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has rejected calls to suspend a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" mined under harsh circumstances of coerced employment, including children.

The United States and many others have expressed alarm about illicit commerce in gold and tantalum in eastern Congo, extracted via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for export to finance rebel organizations.

Regional Emergency

The violence in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's gravest human catastrophes, with exceeding 7.8 million people forced from homes in the region and 28 million experiencing food insecurity, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN data.

International Engagement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the agreement with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also seeks to give the United States greater access to DRC minerals.

She asserted that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and dismissed allegations that main concern was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

European Partnership

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a conference by stating that the EU wanted "collaboration based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She featured the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure 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 strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "much has been overshadowed by the situation in Congo's east."