Belgium is leading calls for the EU to suspend a 2024 agreement with Rwanda to boost the flow of critical raw materials due to concerns about its role in fueling conflict in eastern DRC. Critics argue the deal legitimizes Rwanda's involvement in the region and diverts resources from humanitarian efforts.
The EU is under mounting pressure to suspend a controversial minerals deal with Rwanda that has been blamed for fuelling the conflict in the east of theand relief efforts paralysed, Belgium, the former colonial power in DRC and Rwanda , is leading calls for the EU to suspend the 2024 agreement intended to boost the flow of critical raw materials for Europe’s microchips and electric car batteries.
Brussels and Kigali signed a memorandum of understanding on sustainable raw materials value chains in February 2024. The EU gets access to raw material sources that include tin, tungsten, gold, niobium and potential lithium and rare earth elements. Rwanda is the world’s largest extractor of the rare earth metal tantalum, which is used in chemical equipment. The EU is giving Kigali €900m to develop its infrastructure in raw materials extraction, health and climate resilience.
A further 15 MEPs – Greens, liberals and leftwingers – have made the same demand for a suspension of the EU agreement. The MoU, they wrote in a recent letter, failed to take into account Rwanda’s role in eastern DRC and “unjustifiably grants international legitimacy to the Rwandan regime”.“The EU must not be complicit in the humanitarian tragedy unfolding in North Kivu,” the letter said.
Drcongo Rwanda EU Minerals Conflict
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