Kinshasa, November 26, 2025 the Democratic Republic of Congo is raising its voice on the international stage.
In an interview with Sky News, Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner urged London and global partners to impose strict, targeted sanctions against Rwandan leaders, accusing Kigali of supporting a war “planned, financed and executed” against the DRC.
According to Wagner, the international community can no longer ignore well-documented UN evidence establishing a direct link between the Rwandan Defence Forces and the M23 rebel group occupying several areas in Eastern Congo.
She insists that accountability must finally reach the political, economic and military decision-makers.
A key quote encapsulates the Congolese government’s position:
“We are talking about sanctions that target the chain of command that finances and coordinates this aggression, not the Rwandan population.”
Her statement comes amid rising regional tensions around Goma, where M23 control continues to fuel a deepening security and humanitarian crisis.
For Kinshasa, prolonged global inaction has nurtured a climate of impunity, enabling Rwanda to pursue indirect military operations while maintaining diplomatic credibility abroad.
In her interview, Minister Wagner also denounced the illegal economic networks sustaining the war. She stressed that Rwanda claims to export strategic minerals even though its subsoil contains almost none on an industrial scale.
According to the Congolese government, most of these minerals originate from conflict zones in North Kivu, exploited under armed occupation — a situation that distorts global markets and finances ongoing hostilities.
The foreign minister believes the time has come for global partners to implement mechanisms preventing the trade of minerals sourced from territories controlled by armed groups.
She argues that international precedents already exist and that extending such regulations to Rwandan exports would be both logical and necessary.
Wagner also highlighted a persistent contradiction within the international system: despite accusations implicating Kigali in the killing of UN peacekeepers in Eastern Congo, Rwanda remains one of the UN’s largest troop contributors.
Several African analysts describe this as a “diplomatic inconsistency” that undermines UN credibility. This media intervention marks a turning point in Congolese diplomatic communication.
Kinshasa now intends to place the Rwanda question at the center of its international advocacy, arguing that only a firm response from global partners can slow the escalation and ensure durable protection for civilians in the East.
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Abdoul Madjid Koyakele
~2.jpg "Kinshasa : OLIPES, le leader mondial des lubrifiants industriels, marque les esprits à ExpoBeton 2025")
