Citizen Movement Lutte Pour Le Changement (LUCHA) expresses its outrage at the European Union’s support for Rwanda, which is destabilizing and plundering the Democratic Republic of Congo via the M23 rebels in North Kivu province.
In a letter addressed to Berlanga Martinez Nicolás, Ambassador of the European Union to the DRC, this citizen movement calls on the European Union and its member states to stop financing the war waged by Rwanda in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We are concerned that the partnership between the European Union and Rwanda is negatively affecting peace and security in Congo due to the presence of Rwandan soldiers in North Kivu in support of the M23 rebels. To this end, we call on the European Union that you represent in the DRC and its member states to:
- Clarify their position on the war of aggression that the DRC is suffering in North Kivu and the nature of the relationship they have with Rwanda.
- Urgently suspend the development of the roadmap setting out the measures for implementing the Global Gateway partnership on mineral resources with Rwanda due to the risk that this agreement will be used to launder blood minerals plundered from the DRC.
- Make development aid and military partnership with Rwanda conditional on the withdrawal of its troops deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo,”
Mentioned this correspondence, a copy of which was received by the editorial staff of ACTUALITE.CD on Wednesday, February 21, 2024.
For LUCHA, the fact that the European Union continues to finance Rwanda and pursue its military partnership with the Rwandan army despite the evidence of its involvement in the destabilization and plundering of the DRC constitutes complicity in the war of aggression waged by Paul Kagame against the Democratic Republic of Congo for three decades.
“You know that the Rwandan soldiers you train and finance will likely end up being deployed in Congo to continue the war of aggression that is raging there. You know that the money you give to Rwanda will likely strengthen its capacity to cause harm, jeopardizing peace and security in Kivu. You know very well that the mining agreements you sign with Rwanda will be used to launder the mineral resources plundered by the Rwandan army in Congo, as in the past. You know very well that Rwanda is heavily dependent on international aid and that any threat to cut off financial support could push the country to withdraw its troops from Congo where they are spreading terror,” pleads the citizen movement.
The European Union and Rwanda have concluded an agreement to promote the development of sustainable and resilient value chains for critical raw materials. Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, and Mr. Vincent Biruta, Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs, signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening Rwanda’s role in promoting sustainable development and resilient value chains in Africa.
The conflict that has been going on in eastern DRC for almost 30 years, which is the deadliest since World War II, is mainly economic, and the link between the exploitation and illegal trade of minerals is recognized as a root cause of violence and serious human rights violations, and Rwanda’s involvement in the destabilization of the DRC, the plundering of its natural and mineral resources, and the commission of the most serious crimes, including the use of sexual violence as a method of warfare and as a strategy of terror, is widely documented, including by the United Nations.
Clément MUAMBA
Translated from: La LUCHA demande la suspension de l’accord UE-Rwanda pour éviter le blanchiment des minerais de sang en RDC | Actualite.cd
Congolese Action Youth Platform 
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