Resources and Power Dynamics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Interplay Between Formal Institutions and Informal Networks of Governance

The aim of the study is to analyze the interrelation between natural resources and power in the Democratic Republic of Congo through the lens of formal and informal governance regimes. The methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the concept of legal pluralism, research on the “resource curse” phenomenon, and analysis of the interaction between formal and informal actors as well as external players. The study identifies the mechanisms through which the DRC’s natural wealth becomes a driver of socio-economic vulnerability and political instability. The results show that in the DRC, the resource curse manifests in a complex manner, encompassing mineral, land, and water resources, as well as ecological systems, and transforms into a structural factor of internal instability. Control over resource extraction serves as a source of both revenue and power, which reinforces institutional weakness, provokes conflicts, and exacerbates poverty. The conclusion is drawn that without institutional reform and the establishment of mechanisms for accountable and inclusive resource governance, the DRC will remain in a state of chronic instability, where natural wealth reproduces crisis rather than development.