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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's continued minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "obvious double standards" while enforcing significantly wider penalties in response to the war in Ukraine.

Government Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, urged the EU to enact much stronger sanctions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in Congo's eastern region.

"This demonstrates clear hypocrisy – I aim to be constructive here – that leaves us questioning and inquisitive about understanding why the EU continues to hesitate so much to take action," she stated.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, mediated by the US and Qatar, aiming to resolve the long-standing conflict.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have persisted and a time limit to establish a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts found 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 continually refuted supporting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-defence.

Leadership Call

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting militants in the DRC during a European gathering including both leaders.

"This requires you to order the M23 troops backed by your country to stop this intensification, which has already resulted in sufficient deaths," the leader emphasized.

EU Sanctions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 individuals and two groups – a armed faction and a Rwandan precious metals processor processing unauthorized sources of the metal – for their role in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these determinations of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has declined requests to cancel a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner described the agreement with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a environment where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been diverting African wealth" obtained under brutal conditions of coerced employment, affecting children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about illicit commerce in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, obtained via compulsory work, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to benefit rebel organizations.

Humanitarian Crisis

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million facing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN data.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also attempts to give the United States enhanced entry to Congolese natural resources.

She asserted that the US remains participating in the resolution efforts and dismissed claims that primary interest was the DRC's significant natural resources.

European Partnership

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "much has been eclipsed by the situation in Congo's east."