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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals agreement with Rwanda as showing "obvious hypocrisy" while imposing far more extensive restrictions in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Foreign Minister's Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's international affairs chief, called for the EU to enact far more severe restrictions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the violence in DRC's eastern territories.

"It represents evident hypocrisy – I strive to be productive here – that has us curious and interested about understanding why the EU again struggles so much to take action," she emphasized.

Conflict Resolution Context

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, facilitated by the US and Qatar, aiming to conclude the long-standing hostilities.

However, deadly attacks on ordinary citizens have persisted and a deadline to reach a comprehensive peace agreement was passed without success in August.

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied supporting M23 and maintains its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting militants in the DRC during a international conference including both leaders.

"This requires you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to halt this intensification, which has already led to enough fatalities," the president declared.

EU Sanctions

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two organizations – a armed faction and a Rwandan precious metals processor handling contraband materials of the metal – for their role in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these determinations of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has declined requests to cancel a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner labeled the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a situation where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting Congolese resources" obtained under severe situations of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and many others have expressed alarm about illicit commerce in gold and tantalum in eastern Congo, mined via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to finance armed groups.

Humanitarian Crisis

The violence in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe human catastrophes, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in eastern DRC and 28 million facing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN reports.

International Engagement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner ratified the accord with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also attempts to give the United States expanded opportunity to Congolese natural resources.

She maintained that the US remains participating in the diplomatic negotiations and denied allegations that main concern was the DRC's significant natural resources.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a conference by emphasizing that the EU wanted "collaboration based on common interests and acknowledging autonomy."

She highlighted the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting the mineral heartlands of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "much has been diminished by the crisis in Congo's east."