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The Democratic Republic of Congo has characterized the European Union's ongoing minerals deal with Rwanda as showing "evident double standards" while enforcing significantly wider restrictions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's foreign minister, urged the EU to impose significantly tougher measures against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in Congo's eastern region.

"It represents evident double standards – I want to be constructive here – that makes us questioning and inquisitive about comprehending why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to enact sanctions," she emphasized.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, brokered by the United States and Qatar, aiming to resolve the protracted conflict.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have endured and a time limit to establish a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a group of UN experts reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected assisting M23 and claims its forces act in self-protection.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently appealed to his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting militants in the DRC during a Brussels event attended by both leaders.

"This requires you to instruct the M23 troops assisted by your country to halt this intensification, which has already caused sufficient casualties," the president declared.

EU Sanctions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two organizations – a militant group and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in contraband materials of the metal – for their participation in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these determinations of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has rejected calls to cancel a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner labeled the partnership with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a context where it has been established that Rwanda has been illegally extracting DRC minerals" mined under harsh circumstances of coerced employment, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in mineral resources in DRC's east, extracted via forced labour, then smuggled to Rwanda for international trade to benefit militant factions.

Human Catastrophe

The conflict in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with exceeding 7.8 million people relocated within country in affected areas and 28 million facing hunger issues, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN data.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also seeks to give the United States greater access to African wealth.

She asserted that the US remains engaged in the peace process and dismissed allegations that sole motivation was the DRC's significant natural resources.

European Partnership

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and respect for sovereignty."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's ocean access.

Wagner admitted that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "much has been eclipsed by the conflict in the troubled region."