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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals agreement with Rwanda as showing "obvious double standards" while implementing significantly wider penalties in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Foreign Minister's Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's international affairs chief, called for the EU to implement far more severe measures against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the unrest in eastern DRC.

"This demonstrates obvious double standards – I aim to be helpful here – that leaves us wondering and interested about understanding why the EU again struggles so much to enact sanctions," she emphasized.

Ceasefire Deal History

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a conflict resolution in June, brokered by the US and Qatar, designed to conclude the decades-old conflict.

However, deadly attacks on civilians have persisted and a time limit to establish a final settlement was passed without success in August.

International Findings

Last year, a international assessment team stated that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 militant organization and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in self-defence.

Diplomatic Request

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

"This necessitates you to command the M23 troops backed by your country to end this intensification, which has already resulted in numerous fatalities," Tshisekedi stated.

International Restrictions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 people and two groups – a rebel organization and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in contraband materials of the metal – for their role in intensifying the conflict.

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

Economic Implications

Wagner labeled the agreement with Rwanda as "lacking all legitimacy in a environment where it has been confirmed that Rwanda has been diverting DRC minerals" extracted under harsh circumstances of forced labour, affecting children.

The United States and many others have voiced apprehension about unauthorized transactions in mineral resources in Congo's eastern region, extracted via coerced employment, then trafficked to Rwanda for export to finance armed groups.

Regional Emergency

The unrest in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million confronting hunger issues, including 4 million at crisis conditions, according to UN reports.

Diplomatic Efforts

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the accord with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also attempts to give the United States enhanced entry to Congolese natural resources.

She maintained that the US remains engaged in the peace process and rejected suggestions that primary interest was the DRC's vast mineral wealth.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, opened a gathering by stating that the EU wanted "collaboration based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She featured the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – connecting the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

Wagner recognized that the EU and DRC had a solid basis in the Lobito project, but "much has been diminished by the conflict in the troubled region."