On March 17 this year the EU adopted a number of sanctions against Rwanda. The sanctions followed a lengthy biased campaign from Kinshasa government officials, in conjunction with their Belgian masters.
Belgium’s Foreign Minister, Maxime Prévot together with his Congolese counterpart Theresa Kayikwamba Wagner had been busy moving through the halls of the EU, lobbying hard for sanctions against Rwanda. They claimed “Rwanda not only aggressed DRC” but that it also “was trading in illegal gold from Congo.”
These are the usual, easily disproved smears of that incompetent government.
Eventually the EU – willingly swallowing the anti-Rwanda lies and smears – imposed sanctions on Gasabo Gold Refinery, a Kigali-based company, on top of other measures like restricting movements of Rwandan officials as well as “suspending future cooperations.”
In that hullabaloo Belgium, which was laser focused on keeping its looting hand in DRC, claimed it was acting to stop conflict minerals.
But they never presented any evidence implicating Rwanda in any wrongdoing- just the usual noise and recycled smears in cahoots with Kinshasa.
However, while Belgium and a couple other countries in the EU were pointing fingers, the United States was making moves, ready to overlook the lies and do business.
A few weeks later, U.S. took matters to another level and decided to engage directly in the ongoing mediation processes between Rwanda and DRC.
Aiming at a win-win situation rather than biased accusations like Belgium, the US brokered a peaceful deal between the two countries on minerals and security in the Eastern DRC. The deal, which is still a work in progress, has now started to bear fruit.
Rwandan companies that were smeared by some countries in the EU as “predatory” – allegedly trading in “conflict minerals” – are now on the cusp of striking trade deals in the US.
Just yesterday Nathan Trotter, a US-based tin refiner signed a major deal with Rwanda’s Trinity Metals, to source and refine Rwandan tin. No drama. No shouting. Just business.
This deal didn’t just unlock trade; it buried a lie.
For years, some loud voices, especially in Congo and Belgium, pushed the propaganda that “Rwanda had no minerals” of its own, or that “Rwanda’s success was stolen, not earned.”
With the US deal, that negative myth has been exploded. Rwanda’s mineral wealth is real, and now, officially part of the global market.
As for Belgium? After all its noise and finger-pointing, they’ve suddenly gone quiet. They’ve realized the world wasn’t buying their lie any longer, and now they are the losers.
Rwanda has moved forward, with US partners at the table, minerals in hand, and receipts to prove it.
The Belgians and their Congolese are the losers in their whole miserable saga.
ellenkampire