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The Central African nation has characterized the European Union's continued minerals deal with Rwanda as showing "clear double standards" while implementing significantly wider sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Foreign Minister's Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's international affairs chief, demanded the EU to impose far more severe restrictions against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the unrest in DRC's eastern territories.

"This demonstrates obvious inconsistency – I strive to be constructive here – that makes us wondering and concerned about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to take action," she emphasized.

Ceasefire Deal Context

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a peace agreement in June, brokered by the United States and Qatar, designed to conclude the decades-old hostilities.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have persisted and a deadline to achieve a comprehensive peace agreement was not met in August.

International Findings

Last year, a international assessment team stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside 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.

Presidential Appeal

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

"This demands you to order the M23 troops supported by your country to end this intensification, which has already caused sufficient deaths," Tshisekedi stated.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 individuals and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling unauthorized sources of the metal – for their involvement in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these findings of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has resisted requests to suspend a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner described the partnership with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a situation where it has been established that Rwanda has been siphoning off African wealth" mined under severe situations of compulsory work, including children.

The United States and many others have voiced apprehension about illicit commerce in gold and tantalum in DRC's east, mined via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for international trade to finance rebel organizations.

Humanitarian Crisis

The conflict in eastern DRC remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with more than 7.8 million people relocated within country in the region and 28 million experiencing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN data.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also seeks to give the United States enhanced entry to DRC minerals.

She asserted that the US remains engaged in the diplomatic negotiations and denied claims that main concern was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a summit by declaring that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and respect for sovereignty."

She emphasized the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – connecting the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

Wagner acknowledged that the EU and DRC had a firm groundwork in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been diminished by the situation in the troubled region."