EU-Rwanda: reluctant to freeze MoU

Brussels 25.02.2025 The European Commission stays reluctant to freeze the Memorandum of Understanding on Sustainable Raw Materials Value Chains (MoU). The slow motion reaction of the EU raises brows of human rights defenders in Europe, and worldwide, while observing the devastating events in North Kivu, DRC, where already seven thousand people were killed as a result of the expansion of the M23 rebel group, supported by Rwanda military.

According to the UN experts the M23 captured large swathes of mining territory in eastern North Kivu, and supply routes for the export of minerals to Rwanda, which bring a substantial revenues to the rebels. By taking control of Rubaya, the M23 now has captured on one of the richest coltan deposits in the world, whose production is estimated to account for 15% of the world’s supply and half of Congolese exports.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Rwandan autocrat Paul Kagame plays a double game: presenting his regime to the world “as a beacon of development and stability while systematically undermining the stability and territorial integrity of Congo, its direct neighbor to the west." <a href=”https://t.co/gXyq74tBtZ”>https://t.co/gXyq74tBtZ</a></p>— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) <a href=”https://twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1889400312529596911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>February 11, 2025</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

The signature of the MoU between the EU and Rwanda on February 19, 2024 indicated that both parties had an intention to strengthen their partnership for closer integration of raw materials value chains. This cooperation model should have brought the possibility to diversify economies and was meant to be a driver for structural transformation, promoting added value. The MoU was also aimed at rising standards in the partner country, the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen said, while explaining the advantages of the Memorandum. Furthermore the EU’s Global Gateway investment plan should have been instrumental in providing the financial support in development of skills in the mining sector, improved transparency and traceability.