DRC Condemns EU's Mineral Deal with Rwanda as ‘Obvious Hypocrisy’
The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "obvious contradiction" while enforcing far more extensive penalties in response to the Ukraine conflict.
Government Strong Criticism
Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's foreign minister, demanded the EU to enact far more severe restrictions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in DRC's eastern territories.
"This shows evident double standards – I strive to be constructive here – that makes us questioning and inquisitive about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to take action," she declared.
Ceasefire Deal History
The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, facilitated by the America and Qatar, designed to end the long-standing conflict.
However, fatal assaults on civilians have continued and a target date to reach a comprehensive peace agreement was passed without success in August.
International Findings
Last year, a international assessment team reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."
Rwanda has consistently denied backing M23 and claims its forces act in self-defence.
Presidential Appeal
The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting rebel forces in the DRC during a international conference attended by both leaders.
"This necessitates you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to stop this deterioration, which has already caused sufficient deaths," the leader emphasized.
International Restrictions
The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 people and two groups – a armed faction and a Rwandan gold refiner processing illegal supplies of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.
Despite these determinations of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted calls to terminate a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.
Economic Implications
Wagner characterized the partnership with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a environment where it has been established that Rwanda has been illegally extracting African wealth" extracted under severe situations of compulsory work, including children.
The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about illegal trade in mineral resources in DRC's east, obtained via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to finance militant factions.
Regional Emergency
The violence in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's most severe human catastrophes, with more than 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million confronting food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN assessments.
Diplomatic Efforts
As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner ratified the accord with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also attempts to give the United States expanded opportunity to African wealth.
She stated that the US remains involved in the peace process and rejected suggestions that primary interest was the DRC's significant natural resources.
International Collaboration
The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a summit by stating that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and acknowledging autonomy."
She featured the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.
Wagner acknowledged that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "much has been eclipsed by the conflict in Congo's east."
