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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's continued minerals deal with Rwanda as exhibiting "clear contradiction" while imposing significantly wider sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Diplomatic Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's foreign minister, demanded the EU to implement much stronger sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the violence in Congo's eastern region.

"This demonstrates evident inconsistency – I want to be helpful here – that makes us curious and interested about grasping why the EU repeatedly finds it difficult so much to take action," she stated.

Ceasefire Deal History

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, brokered by the US and Qatar, aiming to resolve the decades-old conflict.

However, fatal assaults on non-combatants have persisted and a deadline to establish a comprehensive peace agreement was missed in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 militant organization 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-protection.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing armed groups in the DRC during a European gathering featuring both leaders.

"This requires you to command the M23 troops supported by your country to halt this deterioration, which has already caused numerous fatalities," the leader emphasized.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two groups – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility processing contraband materials of the metal – for their role in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these findings of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has declined calls to cancel a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner labeled the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a situation where it has been established that Rwanda has been diverting African wealth" extracted under harsh circumstances of compulsory work, including children.

The United States and various countries have raised concerns about illicit commerce in precious metals in DRC's east, extracted via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for export to finance armed groups.

Regional Emergency

The violence in Congo's east remains one of the world's most severe human catastrophes, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million facing food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN reports.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner signed the agreement with Rwanda at the American administration in June, which also aims to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She maintained that the US remains engaged in the peace process and dismissed suggestions that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "partnerships 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 ocean access.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been eclipsed by the conflict in eastern DRC."