European Parliament wants EU aid to Rwanda to be suspended due to the Congo conflict

On Thursday, the European Parliament called on the European Union to halt direct budget support for Rwanda until it severs ties with Tutsi-led M23 rebels and permits aid to reach areas of the DRC where they have made headway.

A memorandum of understanding between Rwanda and the EU that intends to assist Rwandan supplies of vital minerals should be suspended until Rwanda ceases its interference in Congo, the parliament also demanded.

“MEPs strongly condemn the occupation of Goma and other territories in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by M23 rebels and the Rwandan defense forces as a (unacceptable) breach of the DRC’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the organization stated in a statement.

By a majority of 443–4, the parliament passed the resolution, which aimed to increase political pressure on the EU member states and the European Commission. Forty-eight more lawmakers did not vote.

Although the parliament can assert considerable authority as the only directly elected body in the EU, such resolutions are not legally obligatory.

A request for comment was not immediately answered by Yolande Makolo, a spokesman for the Rwandan government.

Since taking control of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, last month, M23 rebels have been slowly moving southward, a move that a local official has warned might lead to a humanitarian crisis in a region that is already home to thousands of displaced people.

Congo, the UN, and a number of Western nations have accused Rwanda of providing M23 with its own troops and weaponry, a claim Kigali refutes.

Igor Cesar, the ambassador of Rwanda to Belgium, stated before a panel of the European Parliament on Thursday that “Rwanda is not the source of this conflict nor is it responsible for solving it alone.”

Fears of a resurgence of a larger regional conflict have been raised by the conflict.

Congo’s enormous mineral resources, many of which are centered in the east, are at the center of the conflict. In addition to having substantial tin and gold reserves nearby, Congo is a leading producer of tantalum.

Though humanitarian operations, which were 70% funded by Washington last year, have suffered greatly since U.S. President Donald Trump placed a halt on foreign aid last month, Congo is still the most aid-dependent nation in the world.