Eastern DRC: MEP condemns EU inaction on Rwanda

Kinshasa, February 12^th, 2026 (CPA). -French Member of the European Parliament Thierry Mariani said in a video on Wednesday that he had refused to take part in a debate on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), denouncing the ‘EU’s inaction on Rwanda, accused of involvement in the ongoing insecurity in eastern DRC’. « I refused to participate in this debate on the DRC. It is nothing more than an excuse to continue not sanctioning Rwanda, guilty of massacres and looting, and its bloodthirsty dictator, Kagame. The EU is still doing nothing. This complacency towards Rwanda is becoming suspicious. The EU is playing a double game. In the chamber, we support Kinshasa, but in reality, we let Mr Kagame do whatever he wants, » said French MP Thierry Mariani in this video, which has gone viral on the internet. These comments come amid ongoing violence in eastern DRC, where Kinshasa regularly accuses Kigali of supporting armed groups operating on its territory. « These discussions are even counterproductive because they offer Kagame’s Rwanda a respite, because everything has already been said about the DRC and the catastrophic situation in the east of the country. The massacres, the looting and the 30-year-long desire to eradicate an entire population, the rapes and so on. Everyone knows who is to blame. It is Rwanda and its bloodthirsty leader, Paul Kagame, » he insisted. The issue of Rwanda’s invasion of Congolese territory is regularly debated in international forums, including the European Union, the United Nations and the African Union. Several UN expert reports have referred to external support for certain armed groups operating in eastern Congo, fuelling calls for targeted sanctions. At the European level, the EU maintains diplomatic and economic relations with Kigali, particularly in the areas of security cooperation and strategic raw materials. This cooperation is criticised by some politicians and observers, who believe that it contrasts with the official positions of support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC.