DRC Condemns EU's Rwanda Mining Partnership as ‘Obvious Hypocrisy’

The Central African nation has described the European Union's persistent minerals agreement with Rwanda as demonstrating "obvious double standards" while implementing far more extensive sanctions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Diplomatic Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's international affairs chief, urged the EU to enact significantly tougher sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the conflict in DRC's eastern territories.

"It represents clear double standards – I aim to be productive here – that makes us wondering and inquisitive about understanding why the EU continues to hesitate so much to enact sanctions," she stated.

Conflict Resolution Background

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, mediated by the US and Qatar, aiming to end the decades-old hostilities.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have endured and a target date to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement was missed in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a United Nations panel stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in national security.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting armed groups in the DRC during a international conference including both leaders.

"This necessitates you to command the M23 troops backed by your country to halt this intensification, which has already led to sufficient deaths," Tshisekedi stated.

EU Sanctions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 individuals and two organizations – a militant group and a Rwandan gold refiner handling contraband materials of the metal – for their involvement in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted demands to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner characterized the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been illegally extracting DRC minerals" extracted under harsh circumstances of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and various countries have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, obtained via compulsory work, then illegally transported to Rwanda for shipment to support rebel organizations.

Human Catastrophe

The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's gravest humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in eastern DRC and 28 million facing hunger issues, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN assessments.

Diplomatic Efforts

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

She maintained that the US remains involved in the diplomatic negotiations and denied suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

EU Cooperation

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and honoring independence."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – linking the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner admitted that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been overshadowed by the crisis in eastern DRC."