As it consolidated its hold on the main strategic points in Goma on Thursday 30 January, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel movement announced its intention to continue its offensive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
“We are in Goma to stay there as Congolese and to protect the population from the uncivilised elements. We are going to continue the liberation march to Kinshasa”, declared the armed group’s political spokesman, Corneille Nangaa, at a press conference.
Meanwhile, at the European Parliament, the chair of the European Parliament delegation to the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly, Hilde Vautmans (Renew Europe, Belgian), called an extraordinary meeting to assess the situation and the EU’s response, in the presence of the EU Special Representative for the Great Lakes Region, Johan Borgstam.
Referring to the complexity of the situation on the ground, which combines Rwanda’s long-standing mining operations in North Kivu, predating the emergence of ‘M23’, with the security and economic interests of other countries, Mr Borgstam called for a “proactive” and “coherent” EU approach to tackling the crisis.
“I am convinced that Rwanda’s next steps will depend on the international community's reaction to the advance on Goma. I do believe that in this context, we must consider using all the political tools that are at our disposal to urgently put an end to the fighting. This is a matter of credibility of the EU”, the EU Special Representative told MEPs.
He added: “We have to draw conclusions from the fact that our clear and strong statements have been ignored by the Rwandese authorities and ‘M23’. We have to raise the pressure on the key actors (...) There are multiple options that we can consider, political and economic”.
In addition, Belgium has been putting pressure on the EU Council for several days to take significant decisions as a matter of urgency, according to a European diplomat on Wednesday.
EU-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding. The suspension of the EU-Rwanda memorandum of understanding on sustainable value chains for raw materials, signed in February 2024, is one of the measures under consideration.
While, for the European Commission, this memorandum represents a strategic lever aimed at reinforcing transparency and traceability in the trade of minerals exploited by Rwanda, its detractors denounce its potential destabilising impact on the east of the DRC, fearing that it legitimises or encourages the illegal exploitation of Congolese resources.
“We call for the immediate suspension of the EU-Rwanda agreement”, said Belgian MEP Yvan Verougstraete (Renew Europe) in a statement on Wednesday.
At the EU Council, the meeting of the group of experts in charge of Africa, scheduled for Friday 31 January, should be devoted to the first concrete discussions on an EU response.
Response from Kinshasa. On Thursday, the Congolese President, Félix Tshisekedi, criticised the lack of response from the international community.
“Your silence and inaction in the face of the barbarity of the Kigali regime and the atrocities perpetrated by its auxiliaries on our territory is an affront not only to the DRC, but also to the universal values of justice and peace. The Congolese people are witness to this passivity, which borders on complicity”, he declared in a televised address.
The Congolese president has promised a “vigorous” response to the offensive by the M23 and its allies. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)