Belgium must demand European Union sanctions against Rwanda after the humanitarian crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) remains critical.
After weeks of advances, the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 entered the Congolese city of Goma overnight from Sunday to Monday. The situation in the city is extremely difficult. Making the call in parliament were the Flemish Christian Democrat (CD&V) MP Els Van Hoof, as well as the French-speaking Greens (Ecolo) co-leader Samuel Cogolati.
Van Hoof, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, criticised the European Union for cooperating with the Rwandan regime while condemning violence in Eastern Congo. She referred to an agreement signed last year by the European Commission for the supply of critical raw materials. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of stealing these resources from eastern DRC.
Van Hoof urges Belgium to demand EU-level sanctions against Rwanda. She noted that Belgium has previously taken a critical stance, such as refusing accreditation for the Rwandan ambassador in Brussels in 2022, and believes the country must go further now. Van Hoof also advocates for a "decisive international security force and humanitarian assistance."
Cogolati also believes Europe should do more to restrain Rwanda. "If all of Europe is ready to sanction Russia for violating Ukraine’s territorial integrity, we must apply the same principle to Rwanda. The territorial integrity of Congo is no exception," he said.