European Parliament Urges EU to Freeze Aid to Rwanda Over Congo Conflict

The European Parliament took a stand on Thursday, 13 February 2025, urging the European Union to halt direct financial support to Rwanda unless the country cuts ties with the alleged Tutsi-led M23 rebels and ensures humanitarian access to areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the group has gained control. Additionally, the parliament called for suspending an agreement with Rwanda concerning the supply of strategic minerals, unless Rwanda ceases its interference in Congo.
The parliament issued a statement strongly condemning the occupation of Goma and other parts of eastern DRC by M23 rebels and Rwandan forces, labelling it an unacceptable violation of Congo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The resolution, passed with overwhelming support in a 443-4 vote (with 48 abstentions), aims to exert pressure on both the European Commission and EU member states. Although non-binding, the resolution carries influence as the EU’s only directly elected institution.
Rwanda’s government spokesperson, Yolande Makolo, did not provide an immediate response to requests for comment. The M23 rebels seized control of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, last month, and have since been advancing southward. Local authorities warn that this progression could lead to a humanitarian disaster in a region already struggling with a large number of displaced people.
Rwanda faces accusations from Congo, the United Nations, and various Western nations of backing the M23 with military support, which Kigali denies. In response to these claims, Rwandan Ambassador to Belgium, Igor Cesar, stated before a European Parliament panel that Rwanda is neither the root cause of the conflict nor solely responsible for resolving it.
The situation has raised alarms about the possibility of a larger regional conflict, particularly given the DRC’s rich mineral resources, including tantalum, tin, and gold.
 Although the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most aid-reliant countries globally, its humanitarian conditions have worsened. The DRC was largely dependent on the USAID, that was halted by President Trump last month, the aid made up 70% of the country’s humanitarian funding.
However,  there is reason to believe that the ongoing shortage of basic resources such as healthcare, food, and infrastructure is not due to a lack of aid. Recent investigations and findings by  the Trump administration have shown that the aid was often diverted from its intended purpose and instead used to push leftist agendas, rather than addressing the country’s critical needs. As a result, despite the significant financial support, the humanitarian crisis remains largely unchanged.
Conflicts and wars entail considerable consequences, and groups like the M23 rebels would likely not possess such advanced weaponry and strategic capabilities without receiving external assistance, which enables them to continue their operations. Furthermore, the extraction of minerals demands significant financial backing. This leads to the important question: are these rebels operating on their own, or is there an external entity influencing their actions?
Understanding the Strategic Reasons Behind the M23 Rebels’ Choice of Current Locations
Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, is strategically located near key mining hubs in the North Kivu province, which has vast mineral wealth beneath its soil. This area alone is responsible for a significant portion of the global supply of tantalum and other ‘conflict minerals’, which are essential for electronics and devices like smartphones and computers. The region’s cobalt deposits are also of immense importance, as cobalt is crucial to produce rechargeable batteries, particularly in electric vehicles. These resources make the region both economically vital and geopolitically significant, attracting international interest from various global powers and multinational corporations.
As the M23 rebels continue their southward march, they are heading towards cities like Sake and Rutshuru, which also lie within rich mineral zones. These cities, along with Goma, serve as critical points in the mining supply chain, and control over them could allow the rebels to directly influence the flow of these valuable minerals, either through controlling trade routes, managing mining operations, or even illicitly extracting resources.
The M23’s end goal, in this context, appears to be twofold: first, to control these mineral-rich territories, which would not only give them significant economic leverage but also political power in the region. Second, by controlling these areas, the M23 could potentially present themselves as an alternative to the central government in Kinshasa.
However, this also leads to the justifiable concerns over the exploitation of these resources and the long-term consequences for the region. If the M23 rebels succeed in their control over eastern DRC, they could turn these cities into power centers for the extraction and trade of minerals, potentially leading to further destabilization of the region and exacerbating the already dire humanitarian crisis. The competition for control over these lucrative resources could fuel more violence.
Thus, the M23’s advance toward these mineral-rich cities is not just a territorial conflict but also a battle over control of some of the world’s most critical and lucrative natural resources, which could have profound implications for the local population and the global economy.
In a time like this one, it is essential for us as the church to remain vigilant, taking up our responsibility as watchmen called to pray and oversee our cities and nations. We must ensure that misguided control and conflicts do not persist, and that the agenda of these global powers does not see the light of day. The President of Loveworld, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has made us understand that these so called international peacekeepers are not on a mission to foster peace in nations instead these global powers are on a mission to destabilize nations for their gain.