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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's persistent minerals agreement with Rwanda as showing "clear contradiction" while imposing significantly wider sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Government Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's top diplomat, urged the EU to implement significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in eastern DRC.

"It represents obvious inconsistency – I want to be helpful here – that has us curious and interested about grasping why the EU continues to hesitate so much to take action," she stated.

Conflict Resolution Background

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, facilitated by the America and Qatar, intending to resolve the decades-old dispute.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have endured and a time limit to achieve a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

UN Report

Last year, a international assessment team stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-protection.

Leadership Call

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

"This requires you to command the M23 troops assisted by your country to stop this intensification, which has already caused numerous deaths," the president declared.

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 individuals and two groups – a militant group and a Rwandan gold refiner handling illegal supplies of the metal – for their involvement in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these findings of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has rejected requests to suspend a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner labeled the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a environment where it has been established that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" extracted under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in mineral resources in DRC's east, obtained via forced labour, then smuggled to Rwanda for international trade to benefit armed groups.

Humanitarian Crisis

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 7.8 million people forced from homes in the region and 28 million facing hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also attempts to give the United States greater access to DRC minerals.

She asserted that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and rejected suggestions that primary interest was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a conference by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on common interests and honoring independence."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – joining the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "much has been eclipsed by the crisis in Congo's east."