The conflict between the Rwandan army-backed rebels and the Democratic Republic of Congo is escalating. The war is primarily over large deposits of resources – mainly cobalt, coltan, tantalum, and gold. EurAc, a network grouping European non-governmental organizations, has accused the EU of being complicit in the crisis. In 2024, the Union signed a mineral extraction agreement with Rwanda intended to secure the supply of materials necessary for the green transformation. European lawmakers have called for a suspension of the agreement in a resolution adopted on February 13th.
“The war ongoing in the Democratic Republic of Congo is basically triggered by the European Union’s decisions. The Union has entered into an agreement with Rwanda for the supply of critical raw materials, such as cobalt needed for battery production. The only problem is, there is no cobalt in Rwanda – it is located in eastern Congo. Therefore, the invasion of the Rwandan M23 militia is in fact a cobalt invasion” – said Marcin Sypniewski, a Member of the European Parliament from the Confederation, in an interview with the Newseria agency.
The conflict between the M23 rebels supported by Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo has been ongoing for years, but the fighting has now intensified. The invasion is focused on areas with mines of gold, coltan, tin, tantalum, and other key rare earth elements. In recent weeks, rebels have taken over the city of Goma, a mineral-rich province in Eastern DRC. In January of this year, they captured the mining town of Lumbishi in the South Kivu province. The region is rich in gold, tourmaline, and so-called 3T minerals (tin, tantalum, and tungsten), used in computers and mobile phones. Congolese officials and the UN have long accused Rwanda of using the M23 rebels to takeover mines and smuggle resources out of Eastern DRC. The proceeds from the smuggled minerals help finance the rebels, fueling the spiral of conflict.
“The DRC has immense deposits of raw materials, copper, cobalt, and other critical raw materials too, i.e., those without which the European Union would not be able to function” – points out the Confederation MP.
According to the International Trade Administration, the DRC accounted for 68% of the world’s cobalt demand in 2022, producing 130 thousand tons of it. It also has some of the world’s best copper ore reserves. Some mines estimate they contain over 3% copper, significantly more than the world average of 0.6–0.8%. Deposits of mineral resources currently being exploited are concentrated in the eastern part of the country.
“Congo has no agreement with the European Union and does not supply it with these raw materials, while the Union has such agreements in place with Rwanda, and it is Rwanda who is actually the supplier of these resources. The problem is that these resources are not in Rwanda. I don’t understand why the EU signed an agreement with Rwanda for resources that it has to go to Congo for” – emphasizes Marcin Sypniewski. “The European Union is to blame; it has in a sense pushed Rwanda into taking this step.”
The EurAc network, which groups about 30 non-governmental organizations, blames the escalation of the conflict on the European Union, which in 2024 signed a mineral extraction agreement with Rwanda. This was intended to secure supplies of highly desirable materials necessary to fuel the so-called green and digital transformation.
“There is a struggle for influence in this region, on one side there are the Chinese, on the other side corporations and the European Union, which needs cobalt to implement the objectives of the Green Deal. The EU shows great hypocrisy because on one hand it closes our mines, and on the other, it turns a blind eye to slave labor in the mines in Africa. The Union supports one side of the dispute, it has signed agreements with Rwanda, but is passive in this conflict and does nothing to stop it” – the MEP asserts.
In a resolution adopted on Thursday, February 13, European deputies strongly condemned the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern DRC by the M23 rebels and Rwandan defense forces, considering this a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC. The Parliament regrets that the European Union has failed to take the necessary measures to address the crisis. It has urged the European Commission to immediately suspend the agreement with Rwanda on sustainable raw material value chains and to impose a trade embargo on all minerals exported from this country until the rebels completely withdraw from the DRC territory.
The resolution, adopted by 443 votes, with four against and 48 abstentions, also called for the freezing of direct financial support for Rwanda until it allows humanitarian access to the crisis-stricken area and severs all ties with the M23. Members of the European Parliament also noted that the consequences of Russian intervention in the conflict, the growing presence of Chinese entities in the DRC mining sector and across the region, as well as a lack of respect for economic and social responsibility, could be troubling.
“The conflict is currently intensifying, terrible things are happening there, there are hundreds of thousands of refugees, horrifying scenes, rapes committed by these rebels supported by the Rwandan militia, and we’re talking about one of the largest African countries and a country that has immense resources to extract” – adds Marcin Sypniewski.
The DRC is in a state of humanitarian crisis, with further fighting potentially leading to civilian massacres. Mainly children suffer on both sides of the conflict, with twelve-year-olds already being recruited into armed groups. UNICEF Director General Catherine Russell, in a statement, wrote that reports of serious child rights violations by the parties to the conflict, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, exceed anything seen in recent years. From January 27 to February 2, 2025, UNICEF partners reported a five-fold increase in the number of rape cases treated in 42 medical facilities. Among the victims, 30% were children.
