Citizens are calling on the European Union to take action to address the escalating crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Many citizens have written to the President of the European Parliament on this subject since February 2025, urging the EU to suspend support for Rwanda and impose sanctions on backers of the M23 armed group.
We replied to citizens who took the time to write to the President.
Main elements of the reply
European Union and the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Council of the European Union (that is, national governments) decides the EU’s foreign policy, not the European Parliament.
In addition, the European External Action Service, headed by Kaja Kallas, leads diplomatic relations between the EU and non-EU countries.
On 25 January 2025, Kaja Kallas issued a statement on the conflict escalation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), strongly condemning Rwanda’s military presence in that country as a clear violation of international law. The EU will consider all the tools at its disposal in order to hold those responsible accountable for sustaining armed conflict, instability and insecurity.
EU sanctions
The European Parliament is not involved in the process of adopting sanctions against non-EU countries. Decisions on EU sanctions are taken unanimously at the Council, following a proposal from the head of the European External Action Service.
In December 2024, the Council renewed its sanctions against individuals responsible for abuses in the DRC, including leaders of the M23 armed group and Rwandan military commanders.
EU support
Since 2022, the EU funds Rwandan military deployment in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province, where Rwanda has been active following a request from the government of Mozambique.
As it is responsible for managing EU funding, the European Commission stated in a February 2025 reply to a parliamentary question, that the funding is not intended to support specific individuals or the Rwandan military as a whole, but only for their deployment in Mozambique. The arrangement has strong safeguards to make sure the funding is used correctly. If the agreement is not respected, the support may be suspended or terminated.
In January 2025, the Commission also pledged €60 million in humanitarian aid for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2025, with a focus on newly displaced populations in and around Goma.
The European Parliament’s involvement
The European Parliament is closely following the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Parliament will hold a plenary debate on the escalation of violence in the DRC on 11 February 2025, after which it will vote on a resolution on the topic.
On 31 January 2025, Parliament’s Delegation to the Africa-EU Parliamentary Assembly held an extraordinary meeting on the new developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Members of the European Parliament called for the adoption of urgent measures by the EU, including targeted sanctions, the freezing of EU development assistance and the immediate suspension of an agreement on raw materials with Rwanda. For more information, see the European Parliament press release.
Parliament had already urged Rwanda not to support the M23 rebels in 2022, and called for sanctions against perpetrators of human rights violations in eastern DRC. Parliament also urged the international community to take concrete steps to stop the ongoing violence. It stressed the importance of cutting off financing for armed groups involved in the illicit trade in natural resources.
Background
Citizens often send messages to the President of the European Parliament expressing their views and/or requesting action. The Citizens’ Enquiries Unit (AskEP) within the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) replies to these messages, which may sometimes be identical as part of wider public campaigns.
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