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The DRC has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "evident hypocrisy" while imposing significantly wider sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Diplomatic Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's top diplomat, urged the EU to impose far more severe restrictions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"This shows clear hypocrisy – I want to be helpful here – that makes us questioning and interested about comprehending why the EU continues to hesitate so much to enact sanctions," she declared.

Ceasefire Deal Context

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

However, fatal assaults on non-combatants have persisted and a deadline to reach a final settlement was missed in August.

International Findings

Last year, a international assessment team found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied assisting 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 international conference attended by both leaders.

"This demands you to command the M23 troops assisted by your country to halt this escalation, which has already led to sufficient casualties," Tshisekedi stated.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two organizations – a militant group and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility dealing in contraband materials of the metal – for their participation in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these findings of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted requests to terminate a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner characterized the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" extracted under severe situations of coerced employment, including children.

The United States and various countries have voiced apprehension about illicit commerce in precious metals in eastern Congo, mined via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to finance armed groups.

Humanitarian Crisis

The conflict in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million experiencing hunger issues, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN data.

International Engagement

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

She maintained that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and denied claims that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "collaboration based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – connecting the mining regions 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 eclipsed by the crisis in Congo's east."