Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic This article was originally published in French
Causing surprise across the bloc, Luxembourg has blocked the adoption of sanctions against Kigali. European ministers have suspended EU defence consultations with Rwanda.
ADVERTISEMENTAlmost a month after the capture of the Congolese town of Goma by the M23 rebels, supported by Rwanda according to the UN, the DRC was on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.The EU’s response, presented by Kaja Kallas, the Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, was regarded by some as timid.”The situation is very grave and it’s on the brink of a regional conflict. Territorial integrity is non-negotiable in Congo as well as in Ukraine. The UN charter also applies everywhere,” she said at a press conference.”EU defence consultations with Rwanda have been suspended.”European foreign ministers are also urging Kigali to withdraw its troops from the DRC.The memorandum of understanding between the EU and Rwanda on sustainable value chains for raw materials, signed in February 2024, “will be under review,” Kallas added.Luxembourg vetoLuxembourg delayed the adoption of other, more ambitious sanctions against Rwanda for its involvement in the escalating conflict in the east of the DRC.The sanctions on the table, but not adopted, include individual sanctions against nine individuals and one entity, and the freezing of €20 million released by the EU last November under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to finance Rwandan forces in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique.Faced with backlash against the decision, Luxembourg’s Minister of Foreign Affairs justified the decision. “This week, negotiations are taking place in Harare between African foreign ministers. And I think it is important, before wanting to take sanctions against Rwanda, to wait for this result, these next three or four days, to see if we are going in the right direction. But at the same time, we agree that new sanctions should be taken to increase the pressure”, said Xavier Bettel.The Grand Duchy would like the EU to not play all its cards at once, in order to retain some room for manoeuvre in the negotiations. However, there could be other issues at stake.”They say that Luxembourg is helping to build a financial centre in Kigali. But we don’t really know why, we don’t really know why Luxembourg has blocked (the sanctions),” Erik Kennes, a researcher at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations, told Euronews.In 2021, Luxembourg signed a bilateral agreement with Rwanda to support the development of the international financial centre in Kigali.Kennes also considers the measures announced by the EU to be “timid” and “late”.”When we talk about the memorandum of understanding, for example, in reality the memorandum of understanding has not been implemented normally and should be translated into a roadmap. But the roadmap never materialised because Rwanda refused to comply with the transparency requirements”, he said.ADVERTISEMENT”It’s a bit of a letdown.”Free CongoA demonstration by the Free Congo collective was held in Brussels on Monday to call for the adoption of sanctions against Kigali.”I have young people in my group who have been massacred, shot in the head in the town of Goma”, Maddy Tiembe, president of AFEDE, told Euronews.”We want the memorandum of understanding signed between the European Union and Rwanda for minerals that Rwanda does not possess to be completely torn up and thrown in the bin”, adds Sonny Kabeya, a member of the UDPS.ADVERTISEMENTCongolese authorities and the United Nations have accused Rwanda of using the rebels of the 23 March movement to plunder mineral resources in the east of the DRC.Last week, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution “strongly condemning” the offensive led by the M23 in the DRC with the support of the Rwandan Defence Force.In a resolution adopted on 13 February, MEPs called on the European Commission and Council to suspend “the EU Memorandum of Understanding on sustainable commodity value chains with Rwanda, until Rwanda ceases all interference in the DRC, including the export of minerals extracted from M23-controlled areas”.The fighting in the east of the DRC has left thousands dead and displaced, according to the UN.ADVERTISEMENTNumerous armed groups, often backed by regional powers, have been fighting for control of areas rich in raw materials for several decades.
