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The Democratic Republic of Congo has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals deal with Rwanda as showing "obvious hypocrisy" while imposing far more extensive penalties in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Diplomatic Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the Congo's international affairs chief, urged the EU to enact significantly tougher restrictions against Rwanda, which has been alleged to exacerbate the unrest in DRC's eastern territories.

"This demonstrates obvious hypocrisy – I want to be productive here – that has us questioning and interested about grasping why the EU again struggles so much to enact sanctions," she stated.

Ceasefire Deal History

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a conflict resolution in June, mediated by the United States and Qatar, aiming to end the long-standing hostilities.

However, fatal assaults on ordinary citizens have continued and a deadline to establish a comprehensive peace agreement was missed in August.

International Findings

Last year, a international assessment team reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were supporting the M23 rebel group 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 national security.

Diplomatic Request

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

"This demands you to command the M23 troops backed by your country to stop this deterioration, which has already caused numerous deaths," Tshisekedi stated.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 people and two groups – a militant group and a Rwandan gold refiner dealing in unauthorized sources 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 European Commission has resisted requests to suspend a 2024 mining agreement with Kigali.

Mineral Issues

Wagner characterized the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "completely untrustworthy in a environment where it has been verified that Rwanda has been siphoning off African wealth" obtained under harsh circumstances of forced labour, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have voiced apprehension about unauthorized transactions in gold and tantalum in eastern Congo, mined via forced labour, then illegally transported to Rwanda for shipment to finance armed groups.

Human Catastrophe

The violence in Congo's east remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people forced from homes in affected areas and 28 million confronting hunger issues, including 4 million at critical stages, according to UN reports.

International Engagement

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

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

EU Cooperation

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a conference by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and acknowledging autonomy."

She featured the Lobito corridor – transportation infrastructure transport links – connecting the mining regions of the DRC and Zambia to Angola's Atlantic coast.

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