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The Central African nation has described the European Union's persistent minerals agreement with Rwanda as showing "obvious double standards" while enforcing significantly wider restrictions in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Government Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's top diplomat, demanded the EU to implement significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the violence in DRC's eastern territories.

"This demonstrates obvious double standards – I strive to be constructive here – that leaves us questioning and interested about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she emphasized.

Peace Agreement Background

The DRC and Rwanda signed a ceasefire deal in June, facilitated by the America and Qatar, aiming to conclude the protracted hostilities.

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

UN Report

Last year, a group of UN experts found that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were fighting alongside the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted backing 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 stop supporting rebel forces in the DRC during a Brussels event attended by both leaders.

"This demands you to instruct the M23 troops assisted by your country to end this escalation, which has already resulted in numerous fatalities," Tshisekedi stated.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two groups – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility dealing in unauthorized sources of the metal – for their role in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these determinations of rights violations by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the Brussels administration has resisted demands to suspend a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner described the agreement with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a situation where it has been established that Rwanda has been siphoning off DRC minerals" obtained under brutal conditions of coerced employment, involving children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in gold and tantalum in DRC's east, obtained via compulsory work, then smuggled to Rwanda for export to finance rebel organizations.

Humanitarian Crisis

The unrest in eastern DRC remains one of the world's worst emergency situations, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in affected areas and 28 million confronting 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 DRC minerals.

She stated that the US remains engaged in the resolution efforts and rejected allegations that sole motivation was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

EU Cooperation

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a summit by emphasizing that the EU wanted "collaboration based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She featured the Lobito corridor – multi-modal transport links – linking the resource-rich areas of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's western shoreline.

Wagner admitted that the EU and DRC had a strong foundation in the Lobito project, but "significant aspects has been diminished by the crisis in eastern DRC."