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The Central African nation has described the European Union's persistent minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "obvious contradiction" while implementing much broader restrictions in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Diplomatic Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's foreign minister, called for the EU to enact far more severe sanctions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in Congo's eastern region.

"This demonstrates obvious inconsistency – I want to be helpful here – that makes us wondering and concerned about grasping why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she stated.

Ceasefire Deal Context

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, designed to resolve the decades-old hostilities.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have continued and a time limit to establish a comprehensive peace agreement was passed without success in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected backing M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently appealed to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing militants in the DRC during a international conference attended by both leaders.

"This demands you to order the M23 troops backed by your country to end this deterioration, which has already caused enough fatalities," the president declared.

EU Sanctions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 people and two groups – a militant group and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their role in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these determinations of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has resisted calls to cancel a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner characterized the partnership with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been siphoning off African wealth" obtained under severe situations of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in gold and tantalum in Congo's eastern region, obtained via coerced employment, then illegally transported to Rwanda for export to benefit armed groups.

Regional Emergency

The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people relocated within country in the region and 28 million confronting hunger issues, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also attempts to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She maintained that the US remains participating in the peace process and denied claims that main concern was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "partnerships based on common interests and honoring independence."

She featured the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – joining the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been overshadowed by the crisis in Congo's east."