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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals partnership with Rwanda as demonstrating "evident double standards" while implementing far more extensive sanctions in response to the war in Ukraine.

Government Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the DRC's foreign minister, urged the EU to enact much stronger sanctions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the conflict in DRC's eastern territories.

"This shows clear double standards – I want to be helpful here – that has us curious and interested about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to enact sanctions," she declared.

Ceasefire Deal Background

The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in June, brokered by the America and Qatar, designed to resolve the decades-old dispute.

However, fatal assaults on non-combatants have continued and a deadline to achieve a final settlement was passed without success in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a United Nations panel reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "actual command of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted assisting M23 and claims its forces act in self-protection.

Diplomatic Request

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

"This requires you to instruct the M23 troops supported by your country to halt this escalation, which has already resulted in sufficient fatalities," Tshisekedi stated.

EU Sanctions

The EU has imposed restrictions against 32 individuals and two organizations – a rebel organization and a Rwandan precious metals processor handling contraband materials of the metal – for their participation in prolonging the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the EU executive has resisted demands to terminate a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner characterized the partnership with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a context where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been siphoning off Congolese resources" extracted under harsh circumstances of coerced employment, involving children.

The United States and many others have expressed alarm about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in eastern Congo, extracted via coerced employment, then smuggled to Rwanda for export to finance militant factions.

Human Catastrophe

The violence in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's gravest emergency situations, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million experiencing hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN assessments.

International Engagement

As the DRC's chief diplomat, Wagner ratified the deal with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also aims to give the United States greater access to Congolese natural resources.

She maintained that the US remains participating in the diplomatic negotiations and denied allegations that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

European Partnership

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a summit by stating that the EU wanted "partnerships based on shared objectives and acknowledging autonomy."

She featured the Lobito corridor – rail, road and water transport links – joining the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "a great deal has been eclipsed by the crisis in the troubled region."