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

Government Sharp Rebuke

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

"It represents evident hypocrisy – I strive to be productive here – that has us questioning and inquisitive about understanding why the EU continues to hesitate so much to implement measures," she emphasized.

Conflict Resolution Background

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a conflict resolution in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, aiming to conclude the decades-old hostilities.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have continued and a target date to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement was not met in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied supporting M23 and claims its forces act in self-protection.

Presidential Appeal

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

"This demands you to command the M23 troops supported by your country to stop this escalation, which has already caused numerous fatalities," Tshisekedi stated.

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 people and two entities – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling contraband materials of the metal – for their role in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these findings of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has resisted demands to cancel a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner characterized the agreement with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a environment where it has been established that Rwanda has been diverting Congolese resources" extracted under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and various countries have expressed alarm about illicit commerce in mineral resources in DRC's east, obtained via forced labour, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to support militant factions.

Regional Emergency

The conflict in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in eastern DRC and 28 million confronting food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN data.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner signed the accord with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also attempts to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She maintained that the US remains involved in the peace process and rejected claims that primary interest was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

European Partnership

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a conference by declaring that the EU wanted "partnerships based on shared objectives and acknowledging autonomy."

She featured the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting 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 crisis in Congo's east."