President Tshisekedi calls for sanctions against Rwanda During visit to Germany
After a two-hour tête-à-tête between President Félix Tshisekedi and Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday in Berlin, Germany, their respective delegations held a working meeting during which they discussed economic cooperation and the security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
“The Germans reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty of the DRC and denounced the Rwandan military presence on Congolese territory.
We insisted that declarations are good, but action is even better,” said Christophe Lutundula, Deputy Prime Minister (VPM), Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to Lutundula, “we need to increase the pressure on Rwanda by brandishing sanctions”. “Rwanda must assume its responsibilities as we do with the armed groups, some of which we have signed disarmament agreements with,” he added.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the European Union (EU) and Rwanda on the exploitation of raw materials was also discussed.
“We told them that if they insist on this agreement with Rwanda, which does not produce the strategic raw materials they need, let’s agree on traceability mechanisms that will guarantee that we will not touch the products that come from the DRC,” said VPM Christophe Lutundula.
In addition, the two sides discussed the increase in private investment, the business climate and the development of the DRC’s natural resources.
