The environmental civil society organizations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have expressed their concern over the recent agreements between the European Union and Rwanda, shedding light on the European Union’s shortcomings in protecting human rights and promoting responsible sourcing practices in the Great Lakes region.
In a statement made on February 27, 2024, to the embassies of the 27 EU Member States, the European Union was commended for its support of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the recent adoption of the EU Regulation on Critical Raw Materials in December 2023. However, despite its declarations and initiatives on due diligence, civil society organizations note that the European Union has failed to put an end to the demand for minerals from conflict zones.
The DRC’s civil society organizations urge the European Union to take concrete actions to rectify this situation. They specifically call for the immediate termination of the agreement with Rwanda, the strengthening of cooperation agreements with the DRC, and the imposition of severe sanctions against Rwanda, targeting President Paul Kagame personally.
Despite declarations and initiatives on due diligence, the European Union appears to have ignored the detrimental consequences of its agreements with Rwanda. The environmental civil society organizations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo vehemently denounce this decision, describing it as a grotesque mistake and a setback of several decades in terms of human rights protection in the Great Lakes region.
In this statement, a copy of which has reached Kilalopress, these organizations recommend that the European Union:
- Immediately terminate the agreement of February 19, 2024, concluded with Rwanda to “promote the development of sustainable and resilient value chains for raw materials.”
- Make its regulation on responsible supply chain due diligence for minerals, which came into effect in 2021, effective and binding.
- Strengthen existing cooperation agreements between the European Union, the United States, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the development of value chains for raw materials by dealing directly with the latter and refraining from sourcing blood minerals from Rwanda.
- Cease, like the United States, to militarily support Rwanda and to no longer provide it with weapons or equipment, and subject it to restrictions on the acquisition of war weapons, given its proven and confirmed involvement by all credible sources in the plundering of the natural resources of the DRC.
- Urgently impose severe sanctions against Rwanda, personally targeting President Paul Kagame for maintaining the M23’s activism as a pretext and alibi to continue exterminating millions of Congolese and plundering the natural resources of their country.
