Former DRC presidential candidate Dénis Mukwege has strongly criticized the recently signed agreement between the European Union (EU) and Rwanda.
The EU and Rwanda recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the development of “sustainable” and “resilient” value chains for raw materials, also called conflict or blood minerals, does not ceases to arouse reactions in the Congolese socio-political environment.
However, Mukwenge has condemned the MoU claiming that the behavior of the European executive reaches not only the paroxysm of cynicism in matters of geostrategy, but also illustrated in a policy of double standards which undermines the credibility of international institutions.
“While the security and humanitarian crisis plaguing the Kivus has further seriously worsened since the resurgence of the armed group M23, which operates in concert with the direct support of the Rwandan army in the framework of yet another war of aggression and occupation on Congolese territory, the policy of the European Commission and the strengthening of this strategic partnership with the dictatorial regime of Kigali appear in total contradiction with the principle of coherence and the fundamental values of the EU, in particular the promotion peace and human rights, which should be, in accordance with the European Treaties, fundamental objectives in its external relations”, underlined Dénis Mukwege in a statement released this Thursday morning.
The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate added that; “It is in this context that we reiterate our call launched in Strasbourg in 2014 on the occasion of the award of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, to ensure greater coherence between policies and respect for human rights, and to place human dignity at the center of economic and financial concerns, and urge European institutions and countries to make the EU due diligence regulation effective and binding for mineral supply chains, which came into force in 2021 and yet has been largely diverted by opaque cross-border supply chains between the DRC and Rwanda.”
The conflict which has persisted in eastern DRC for close to 30 years is the deadliest since Second World War and has arisen mainly due to economic reasons.
The link between exploitation and the illegal trade in minerals is recognized as a root cause of violence and serious human rights violations.
Rwanda’s involvement in the destabilization of the DRC, the plundering of its natural and mineral resources as well as the acts serious crimes, including the use of sexual violence as a method of war and as a strategy of terror, have also been widely documented, notably by the United Nations.
