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The Central African nation has characterized the European Union's ongoing minerals partnership with Rwanda as showing "evident contradiction" while imposing much broader penalties in response to the Ukrainian crisis.

Diplomatic Strong Criticism

Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, the African nation's top diplomat, called for the EU to enact far more severe measures against Rwanda, which has been charged with intensifying the conflict in Congo's eastern region.

"This demonstrates obvious double standards – I want to be productive here – that makes us questioning and interested about understanding why the EU again struggles so much to implement measures," she stated.

Ceasefire Deal Background

The DRC and Rwanda agreed to a peace agreement in June, brokered by the America and Qatar, intending to conclude the protracted hostilities.

However, deadly attacks on non-combatants have endured and a time limit to achieve a lasting resolution was not met in August.

Expert Assessment

Last year, a international assessment team reported that up to 4,000 Rwandan troops were operating with the M23 insurgent faction and that the Rwandan military was in "effective direction of M23 operations."

Rwanda has continually refuted backing M23 and asserts its forces act in self-protection.

Leadership Call

The DRC president, Félix Tshisekedi, recently urged his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to stop supporting militants in the DRC during a European gathering including both leaders.

"This necessitates you to instruct the M23 troops backed by your country to halt this escalation, which has already caused enough casualties," the leader emphasized.

European Measures

The EU has placed sanctions on 32 persons and two organizations – a armed faction and a Rwandan mineral treatment facility handling 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 rejected calls to cancel a 2024 minerals deal with Kigali.

Economic Implications

Wagner labeled the agreement with Rwanda as "void of any credibility in a environment where it has been established that Rwanda has been illegally extracting DRC minerals" extracted under brutal conditions of coerced employment, including children.

The United States and numerous nations have raised concerns about unauthorized transactions in mineral resources in Congo's eastern region, mined via forced labour, then smuggled to Rwanda for international trade to support militant factions.

Human Catastrophe

The conflict in DRC's eastern territories remains one of the world's most severe emergency situations, with exceeding 7.8 million people internally displaced in the region and 28 million facing food insecurity, including 4 million at emergency levels, according to UN reports.

International Engagement

As the DRC's principal negotiator, Wagner approved the accord 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 diplomatic negotiations and denied claims that primary interest was the DRC's extensive resource deposits.

International Collaboration

The EU leader, Ursula von der Leyen, inaugurated a gathering by declaring that the EU wanted "cooperation based on mutual benefits and respect for sovereignty."

She highlighted 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 overshadowed by the situation in Congo's east."