A Kagame publicist criticizes Belgium’s lack of commitment to the DR Congo conflict

Belgium has been criticized by President Kagame’s press secretary, Stéphanie Nyombayire, for its hypocrisy in accusing Rwanda of resource exploitation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite Belgium’s past colonial exploitation of the nation.

Despite Belgium’s colonial exploitation of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the accumulation of its riches from the war-torn nation, Stéphanie Nyombayire, the press secretary for President Paul Kagame, has criticized Belgium’s hypocrisy in accusing Rwanda of mineral exploitation in the country.

The EU and the Rwandan government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on vital minerals in February 2024 with the goal of developing sustainable supply chains for raw resources including as tantalum, tungsten, gold, and tin.

Rwanda denies the Congolese government’s claim that its mineral imports are “stolen” from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the Congolese government has urged the EU to halt the deal. The Congo wants to impose penalties on Rwanda, which it claims is aiding the AFC/M23 rebel movement, including suspending the deal.

Belgian attempts to provide answers for issues it caused in the Great Lakes Region, such as escalating ethnic tensions, were attacked by Nyombayire.

According to Nyombayire, Belgium bears some responsibility for the wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, therefore the claim should serve as “a reminder that fake outrage does not erase the facts of history.”

“A nation that is currently spearheading the campaign against Rwanda, accused of plundering the very resources that underpin Belgium’s entire wealth.” The irony is unparalleled.

“If anyone is to bear some of the blame, it is the country that played a key role in establishing and escalating ethnic divisions, that harbors and legitimizes those who committed genocide while Antwerp Diamond District continues to prosper from DR Congo diamonds,” she continued.

According to Nyombayire, the issue should be who stands to gain from keeping things as they are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“One of the largest and wealthiest countries in Africa is constantly reliant on one of the smallest European countries to provide it with economic and diplomatic support to solve its problems,” she added.

At the Africa-EU delegation in Strasbourg on February 14, European Parliament members brought up the need to halt the EU-Rwanda memorandum of agreement on key minerals in order to mitigate the threat of a regional escalation of the violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Igor Cesar, the ambassador of Rwanda to Germany, expressed disapproval of the attention being paid to Rwanda’s mineral smuggling networks, arguing that there is a reluctance to hold the true offenders accountable. This is related to the larger conflict issue and the international economic interests in the DR Congo’s mining sector.

“DR Congo’s instability offers no benefits to Rwanda. On the contrary, economic cooperation and regional stability are linked to our prosperity agenda.

EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica warned the EMPs against halting the UE-Rwanda relationship.

According to Suica, “the suspension of the Memorandum of Understanding could be counterproductive since it would eliminate the foundation for this interaction with Rwanda and weaken the incentive to guarantee responsible mineral production and trade by Rwanda.”