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The Central African nation has described the European Union's persistent minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "evident hypocrisy" while imposing significantly wider penalties in response to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's foreign minister, demanded the EU to impose much stronger measures against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the violence in eastern DRC.

"This demonstrates evident hypocrisy – I want to be constructive here – that makes us curious and interested about understanding why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she emphasized.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a peace agreement in June, brokered by the United States and Qatar, aiming to conclude the decades-old conflict.

However, deadly attacks on non-combatants have persisted and a deadline to reach a lasting resolution was not met in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied assisting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to militants in the DRC during a international conference including both leaders.

"This demands you to command the M23 troops assisted by your country to halt this deterioration, which has already caused enough casualties," Tshisekedi stated.

EU Sanctions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two organizations – a armed faction and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in contraband materials of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

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

Economic Implications

Wagner characterized the agreement with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been diverting DRC minerals" obtained under severe situations of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and many others have expressed alarm about illegal trade in mineral resources in Congo's eastern region, mined via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to finance militant factions.

Regional Emergency

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

Global Involvement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner ratified the agreement with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also attempts to give the United States greater access to African wealth.

She maintained that the US remains engaged in the peace process and dismissed claims that main concern was the DRC's significant natural resources.

International Collaboration

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a gathering by stating that the EU wanted "collaboration based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She featured the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – linking the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner admitted that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "much has been diminished by the conflict in Congo's east."