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The Central African nation has labeled the European Union's ongoing minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "evident contradiction" while imposing significantly wider penalties in response to the Ukraine conflict.

Government Firm Condemnation

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's international affairs chief, demanded the EU to impose much stronger measures against Rwanda, which has been accused of fueling the unrest in DRC's eastern territories.

"This demonstrates evident hypocrisy – I aim to be productive here – that leaves us questioning and interested about comprehending why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she declared.

Peace Agreement Background

The DRC and Rwanda ratified a peace agreement in June, facilitated by the US and Qatar, intending to end the long-standing dispute.

However, lethal incidents on civilians have continued and a time limit to achieve a final settlement was passed without success in August.

UN Report

Last year, a United Nations panel reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 rebel group and that the Rwandan military was in "de facto control of M23 operations."

Rwanda has consistently denied supporting M23 and asserts its forces act in national security.

Presidential Appeal

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to cease backing rebel forces in the DRC during a international conference attended by both leaders.

"This requires you to order the M23 troops supported by your country to end this escalation, which has already caused numerous casualties," Tshisekedi stated.

International Restrictions

The EU has enacted measures targeting 32 individuals and two groups – a militant group and a Rwandan precious metals processor dealing in illegal supplies of the metal – for their role in fuelling the conflict.

Despite these conclusions of human rights abuses by the Rwandan army in the DRC, the European Commission has declined demands to suspend a 2024 resource partnership with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner characterized the memorandum of understanding with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a context where it has been verified that Rwanda has been siphoning off African wealth" extracted under brutal conditions of compulsory work, involving children.

The United States and various countries have expressed alarm about unauthorized transactions in precious metals in Congo's eastern region, obtained via forced labour, then smuggled to Rwanda for shipment to benefit armed groups.

Regional Emergency

The unrest in eastern DRC remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with over 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million experiencing nutritional challenges, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN data.

International Engagement

As the DRC's top representative, Wagner ratified the agreement with Rwanda at the White House in June, which also aims to give the United States expanded opportunity to Congolese natural resources.

She asserted that the US remains involved in the resolution efforts and rejected allegations that main concern was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

European Partnership

The Brussels chief, Ursula von der Leyen, commenced a gathering by emphasizing that the EU wanted "cooperation based on shared objectives and acknowledging autonomy."

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

Wagner admitted 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."