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The Central African nation has described the European Union's ongoing minerals deal with Rwanda as showing "evident hypocrisy" while implementing much broader sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's top diplomat, demanded the EU to implement significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the violence in eastern DRC.

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

Ceasefire Deal Context

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, facilitated by the United States and Qatar, designed to conclude the decades-old dispute.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have endured and a deadline to reach a comprehensive peace agreement was not met in August.

UN Report

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

Rwanda has consistently denied backing M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to armed groups in the DRC during a European gathering including both leaders.

"This requires you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to stop this escalation, which has already caused sufficient fatalities," the leader emphasized.

International Restrictions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two entities – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their participation in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these determinations of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has declined demands to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner described the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a situation where it has been established that Rwanda has been siphoning off DRC minerals" extracted under brutal conditions of compulsory work, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about illegal trade in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, extracted via compulsory work, then trafficked to Rwanda for shipment to finance armed groups.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe human catastrophes, with more than 7.8 million people relocated within country in the region and 28 million confronting nutritional challenges, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN assessments.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner ratified the accord with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also seeks to give the United States enhanced entry to Congolese natural resources.

She asserted that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and rejected suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's significant natural resources.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a summit by stating that the EU wanted "partnerships based on mutual benefits and respect for sovereignty."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

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