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The Central African nation has characterized the European Union's ongoing minerals deal with Rwanda as showing "evident hypocrisy" while imposing far more extensive restrictions in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Government Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, demanded the EU to implement far more severe sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in eastern DRC.

"This shows evident double standards – I strive to be helpful here – that leaves us curious and inquisitive about grasping why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she stated.

Conflict Resolution History

The DRC and Rwanda signed a conflict resolution in June, facilitated by the United States and Qatar, intending to end the decades-old conflict.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have continued and a time limit to establish a final settlement was passed without success in August.

UN Report

Last year, a international assessment team 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 repeatedly rejected assisting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-defence.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing rebel forces in the DRC during a Brussels event attended by both leaders.

"This necessitates you to order the M23 troops backed by your country to end this intensification, which has already resulted in sufficient fatalities," the president declared.

International Restrictions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two groups – a rebel organization and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility dealing in contraband materials 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 declined demands to cancel a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a context where it has been established that Rwanda has been illegally extracting African wealth" obtained under harsh circumstances of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in mineral resources in DRC's east, mined via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for export to support militant factions.

Regional Emergency

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's worst emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million confronting nutritional challenges, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN assessments.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner ratified the agreement with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also aims to give the United States greater access to DRC minerals.

She stated that the US remains participating in the peace process and rejected suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's significant natural resources.

International Collaboration

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – joining 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 overshadowed by the crisis in eastern DRC."