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The Democratic Republic of Congo has labeled the European Union's continued minerals partnership with Rwanda as demonstrating "obvious hypocrisy" while enforcing significantly wider sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's foreign minister, urged the EU to implement far more severe restrictions against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"It represents clear double standards – I want to be helpful here – that has us wondering and interested about comprehending why the EU continues to hesitate so much to take action," she declared.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda signed a conflict resolution in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, designed to end the long-standing hostilities.

However, deadly attacks on ordinary citizens have endured and a time limit to establish a lasting resolution was not met in August.

International Findings

Last year, a international assessment team found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted backing M23 and maintains its forces act in self-defence.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently appealed to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to militants in the DRC during a European gathering including both leaders.

"This demands you to command the M23 troops backed by your country to stop this escalation, which has already caused sufficient casualties," the president declared.

EU Sanctions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 people and two groups – a rebel organization and a Rwandan precious metals processor processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their role in intensifying the conflict.

Despite these findings of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has declined calls to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner labeled the agreement with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been verified that Rwanda has been diverting Congolese resources" mined under harsh circumstances of forced labour, involving children.

The United States and various countries have raised concerns about illegal trade in precious metals in DRC's east, extracted via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for shipment to benefit militant factions.

Regional Emergency

The unrest in Congo's east remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million experiencing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN data.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner signed the deal with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also seeks to give the United States enhanced entry to Congolese natural resources.

She asserted that the US remains participating in the diplomatic negotiations and denied claims that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

European Partnership

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

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – linking the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner acknowledged that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been diminished by the conflict in the troubled region."