🔗 Share this article Congo Denounces EU's Rwanda Minerals Agreement as ‘Obvious Hypocrisy’ The Democratic Republic of Congo has characterized the European Union's ongoing minerals partnership with Rwanda as demonstrating "clear hypocrisy" while imposing significantly wider restrictions in response to the Ukraine conflict. Diplomatic Strong Criticism Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's foreign minister, called for the EU to enact far more severe measures against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the violence in eastern DRC. "This demonstrates evident double standards – I aim to be helpful here – that makes us questioning and inquisitive about comprehending why the EU continues to hesitate so much to implement measures," she declared. Ceasefire Deal Context The DRC and Rwanda ratified a peace agreement in June, brokered by the United States and Qatar, aiming to conclude the protracted dispute. However, deadly attacks on non-combatants have continued and a time limit to achieve a final settlement was passed without success in August. International Findings Last year, a group of UN experts reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations." Rwanda has continually refuted assisting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-protection. Presidential Appeal The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon 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 backed by your country to stop this escalation, which has already resulted in numerous fatalities," the president declared. International Restrictions The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 persons and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling unauthorized sources of the metal – for their participation in intensifying the conflict. Despite these conclusions of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has resisted demands to cancel a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali. Mineral Issues Wagner described the agreement with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a environment where it has been established that Rwanda has been siphoning off DRC minerals" extracted under brutal conditions of compulsory work, affecting children. The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about illicit commerce in precious metals in DRC's east, mined via coerced employment, then illegally transported to Rwanda for shipment to finance armed groups. Humanitarian Crisis The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with exceeding 7.8 million people forced from homes in the region and 28 million experiencing hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN reports. Diplomatic Efforts As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner ratified the deal with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also aims to give the United States expanded opportunity to African wealth. She stated that the US remains engaged 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 summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "collaboration based on common interests and honoring independence." She emphasized the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the resource-rich areas 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 "a great deal has been diminished by the crisis in Congo's east."