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

Foreign Minister's Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's international affairs chief, urged the EU to implement significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the conflict in DRC's eastern territories.

"It represents evident double standards – I aim to be constructive here – that leaves us questioning and inquisitive about grasping why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to enact sanctions," she emphasized.

Peace Agreement History

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, facilitated by the America and Qatar, aiming to end the decades-old conflict.

However, lethal incidents on ordinary citizens have persisted and a target date to establish a final settlement was missed in August.

Expert Assessment

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 "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected assisting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-protection.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently appealed to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting militants in the DRC during a international conference featuring both leaders.

"This requires you to order the M23 troops backed by your country to stop this intensification, which has already led to sufficient casualties," Tshisekedi stated.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two groups – a militant group and a Rwandan precious metals processor processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

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

Resource Concerns

Wagner labeled the agreement with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a situation where it has been verified that Rwanda has been siphoning off Congolese resources" mined under brutal conditions of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and many others have expressed alarm about illegal trade in mineral resources in DRC's east, mined via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to benefit armed groups.

Regional Emergency

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in eastern DRC and 28 million facing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN assessments.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also aims to give the United States greater access to Congolese natural resources.

She asserted that the US remains engaged in the peace process and rejected suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

European Partnership

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a conference by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and respect for sovereignty."

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

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