🔗 Share this article DRC Condemns EU's Rwanda Minerals Agreement as ‘Clear Double Standard’ The Democratic Republic of Congo has labeled the European Union's persistent minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "evident hypocrisy" while implementing significantly wider penalties in response to the Ukrainian crisis. Government Sharp Rebuke Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's foreign minister, urged the EU to implement far more severe measures against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the conflict in eastern DRC. "This demonstrates evident double standards – I strive to be productive here – that makes us questioning and concerned about grasping why the EU continues to hesitate so much to take action," she emphasized. Ceasefire Deal Background The DRC and Rwanda signed a ceasefire deal in June, facilitated by the United States and Qatar, designed to end the long-standing conflict. However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have persisted and a target date to reach a final settlement was not met in August. Expert Assessment Last year, a international assessment team found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations." Rwanda has continually refuted assisting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-protection. Diplomatic Request The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to militants in the DRC during a international conference including both leaders. "This requires you to order the M23 troops backed by your country to stop this escalation, which has already resulted in numerous fatalities," the leader emphasized. EU Sanctions The EU has placed sanctions on 32 persons and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan gold refiner dealing in contraband materials of the metal – for their participation in intensifying the conflict. Despite these conclusions of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has rejected demands to suspend a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali. Mineral Issues Wagner described the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a situation where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been siphoning off DRC minerals" extracted under severe situations of forced labour, including children. The United States and many others have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in DRC's east, mined via compulsory work, then trafficked to Rwanda for export to finance militant factions. Humanitarian Crisis The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people relocated within country in affected areas and 28 million facing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN assessments. Global Involvement As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also aims to give the United States expanded opportunity to Congolese natural resources. She asserted that the US remains involved in the diplomatic negotiations and rejected allegations that primary interest was the DRC's extensive resource deposits. International Collaboration The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a gathering by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and honoring independence." She highlighted the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – joining the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline. Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been overshadowed by the crisis in Congo's east."