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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals partnership with Rwanda as exhibiting "obvious contradiction" while imposing far more extensive sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Government Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's top diplomat, demanded the EU to impose far more severe sanctions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the conflict in eastern DRC.

"This shows clear inconsistency – I strive to be productive here – that leaves us questioning and interested about understanding why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to enact sanctions," she emphasized.

Peace Agreement History

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, intending to end the decades-old dispute.

However, fatal assaults on non-combatants have endured and a time limit to reach a lasting resolution was missed in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a group of UN experts stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

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

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting armed groups in the DRC during a Brussels event featuring both leaders.

"This requires you to order the M23 troops supported by your country to end this escalation, which has already caused enough casualties," Tshisekedi stated.

International Restrictions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 individuals and two entities – a armed faction and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in illegal supplies of the metal – for their participation in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these determinations of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted requests to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a situation where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" mined under harsh circumstances of forced labour, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in gold and tantalum in DRC's east, mined via forced labour, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to benefit armed groups.

Humanitarian Crisis

The violence in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's worst human catastrophes, with exceeding 7.8 million people forced from homes in the region and 28 million experiencing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN data.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the agreement with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also seeks to give the United States greater access to Congolese natural resources.

She maintained that the US remains participating in the resolution efforts and denied claims that main concern was the DRC's significant natural resources.

European Partnership

The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a conference by declaring that the EU wanted "collaboration based on shared objectives and honoring independence."

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

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been overshadowed by the situation in the troubled region."