Speaking to AFP, Bestine Kazadi, Minister for International Cooperation and Francophonie, announced that he had asked the European Union to "swiftly impose" the first sanctions, considering that "every day of inaction counts in human lives".
"We call for the acceleration of the freezing of the assets of senior Rwandan political and military officials responsible for violations of international and humanitarian law", he said, without mentioning specific names.
"This war is not just about the economy [minerals] and security, it is also about land. Rwanda is a small country with expansionist ambitions, with the idea of creating a true protectorate, and for us that is inconceivable, unacceptable, we will never accept it", stressed the minister.
Kinshasa has been calling for sanctions against Kigali since the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, in late January and advanced into the neighbouring province of South Kivu.
For the moment, the international community is limited to calling for a de-escalation and a ceasefire, with some countries and the UN also calling for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern DR Congo.
Sanctions have been imposed in the past against M23 leaders and two Rwandan officials involved in the DR Congo (asset freezes and travel bans), but have never targeted senior Rwandan officials.
Other possible measures include suspending the EU-Rwanda partnership on critical raw materials, signed in 2024 and criticised by Kinshasa, which accuses Rwanda of seeking to seize mineral resources in eastern DR Congo – a claim denied by Kigali.
Another possibility is to review European financial support for the deployment of the Rwandan army to fight Islamic fundamentalism in Mozambique, for which Kigali has already received around 40 million euros, or the development aid that several European countries pay to Rwanda.
This Wednesday, in an interview with Lusa and other European agencies, the head of diplomacy of the European Union said that she is working on a "stronger response" from the 27 to the conflict in eastern DR Congo.
"We are currently working to give a stronger response, but we need a unanimous decision from all Member States and that is, once again, a problem, but I am working on it", declared the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas.
Referring to the growing tensions in eastern DR Congo, the head of EU diplomacy pointed out that one of the options would be "the suspension of the Memorandum of Understanding on essential raw materials" with Rwanda, as well as the application of European Union (EU) sanctions.
"But we need to have all 27 Member States on board", given the unanimity required in the Council to make such decisions, recalled Kaja Kallas, also mentioning a "dilemma" due to the fact that Rwanda "is the global gateway and, at the same time, helps in the peacekeeping mission in Mozambique".
The official was referring to Rwanda's involvement in the Peace Support Mechanism in Cabo Delgado province – funded by the EU –, in northern Mozambique, where attacks claimed by movements associated with the extremist group Islamic State have occurred.
Since 1998, the east of the DR Congo, a country that was a Belgian colony, has been mired in a conflict fueled by rebel militias and the army, despite the presence of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco).
The DR Congo shares borders with Angola.
