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The Democratic Republic of Congo has labeled the European Union's persistent minerals agreement with Rwanda as exhibiting "obvious contradiction" while imposing much broader sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Government Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's international affairs chief, urged the EU to impose far more severe restrictions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"It represents clear hypocrisy – I want to be productive here – that makes 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 ratified a peace agreement in June, mediated by the US and Qatar, designed to end the decades-old hostilities.

However, lethal incidents on non-combatants have continued and a time limit to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement was passed without success in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a international assessment team found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected backing M23 and claims its forces act in self-defence.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently appealed to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to rebel forces in the DRC during a European gathering attended by both leaders.

"This demands you to instruct the M23 troops backed by your country to end this escalation, which has already led to numerous deaths," the leader emphasized.

EU Sanctions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 people and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan gold refiner handling unauthorized sources of the metal – for their participation in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has declined demands to cancel a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner characterized the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" obtained under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, affecting children.

The United States and many others have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in mineral resources in Congo's eastern region, mined via forced labour, then smuggled to Rwanda for export to support armed groups.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's worst emergency situations, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in eastern DRC and 28 million experiencing food insecurity, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN assessments.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner signed the deal with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also attempts to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She asserted that the US remains involved in the diplomatic negotiations and denied suggestions that main concern was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "partnerships based on common interests and respect for sovereignty."

She featured the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

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