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The Democratic Republic of Congo has characterized the European Union's continued minerals deal with Rwanda as exhibiting "obvious contradiction" while implementing significantly wider restrictions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Foreign Minister's Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, called for the EU to enact much stronger measures against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in DRC's eastern territories.

"This demonstrates evident hypocrisy – I want 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 stated.

Ceasefire Deal History

The DRC and Rwanda signed a conflict resolution in June, facilitated by the US and Qatar, intending to resolve the decades-old conflict.

However, deadly attacks on civilians have persisted and a deadline to achieve 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 supporting the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

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

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to militants in the DRC during a Brussels event attended by both leaders.

"This requires you to command the M23 troops backed by your country to end this escalation, which has already led to enough deaths," the president declared.

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 individuals and two groups – a rebel organization and a Rwandan gold refiner handling unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has rejected calls to cancel a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner characterized the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a environment where it has been established that Rwanda has been illegally extracting African wealth" extracted under harsh circumstances of coerced employment, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in eastern Congo, obtained via compulsory work, then trafficked to Rwanda for export to finance armed groups.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in eastern DRC remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people relocated within country in eastern DRC and 28 million experiencing food insecurity, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN assessments.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner signed the deal with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also seeks to give the United States greater access to African wealth.

She maintained that the US remains participating in the peace process and denied claims that primary interest was the DRC's significant natural resources.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "partnerships 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 Atlantic coast.

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