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The Democratic Republic of Congo has described the European Union's persistent minerals deal with Rwanda as demonstrating "clear hypocrisy" while enforcing far more extensive penalties in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Foreign Minister's Sharp Rebuke

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's foreign minister, demanded the EU to impose significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in DRC's eastern territories.

"This demonstrates clear double standards – I strive to be helpful here – that has us curious and concerned about understanding why the EU again struggles so much to enact sanctions," she stated.

Ceasefire Deal Context

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a ceasefire deal in June, mediated by the US and Qatar, designed to conclude the decades-old dispute.

However, lethal incidents on ordinary citizens have endured and a time limit to achieve a lasting resolution was passed without success in August.

Expert Assessment

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 "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has repeatedly rejected assisting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Leadership Call

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently called upon his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to end assistance to rebel forces in the DRC during a Brussels event attended by both leaders.

"This requires you to command the M23 troops supported by your country to halt this deterioration, which has already caused sufficient fatalities," the president declared.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two entities – a militant group and a Rwandan gold refiner handling illegal supplies of the metal – for their involvement in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these determinations of international law breaches by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has declined demands to cancel a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Resource Concerns

Wagner labeled the agreement with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been illegally extracting African wealth" mined under harsh circumstances of coerced employment, affecting children.

The United States and various countries have voiced apprehension about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, extracted via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to benefit armed groups.

Humanitarian Crisis

The unrest in Congo's east remains one of the world's gravest humanitarian crises, with more than 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million confronting hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN data.

Global Involvement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner approved the deal with Rwanda at the US presidential residence in June, which also aims to give the United States enhanced entry to Congolese natural resources.

She maintained that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and rejected allegations that main concern was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by emphasizing that the EU wanted "partnerships based on common interests and acknowledging autonomy."

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

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