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The Central African nation has characterized the European Union's persistent minerals deal with Rwanda as showing "obvious double standards" while implementing significantly wider sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's foreign minister, demanded the EU to impose much stronger measures against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"It represents clear hypocrisy – I strive to be constructive here – that makes us curious and interested about grasping why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to implement measures," she stated.

Peace Agreement Context

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a peace agreement in June, brokered by the America and Qatar, intending to conclude the decades-old conflict.

However, lethal incidents on non-combatants have endured and a deadline to achieve a lasting resolution was missed in August.

UN Report

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 continually refuted supporting M23 and claims its forces act in self-protection.

Leadership Call

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

"This demands you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to halt this intensification, which has already resulted in numerous deaths," the leader emphasized.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan precious metals processor processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their involvement in intensifying the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has rejected demands to terminate a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner labeled the agreement with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been diverting Congolese resources" extracted under severe situations of compulsory work, including children.

The United States and various countries have expressed alarm about illicit commerce in mineral resources in eastern Congo, mined via forced labour, then illegally transported 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 exceeding 7.8 million people relocated within country in affected areas and 28 million facing food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN assessments.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also aims to give the United States expanded opportunity to DRC minerals.

She asserted that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and rejected allegations that sole motivation was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a conference by declaring that the EU wanted "collaboration based on mutual benefits and honoring independence."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – linking the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner acknowledged that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "much has been diminished by the conflict in the troubled region."