The DRC at 50: Confronting the Challenges of Peace and Territorial Consolidation

The DRC faces significant hurdles in establishing state authority and territorial integrity, complicated by a stalled decentralisation process and border disputes over oil and gas deposits. The transition from MONUC to MONUSCO represents a symbolic shift toward stabilisation, while the STAREC programme attempts to restore basic institutional infrastructure in conflict zones. Resource governance remains precarious due to illegal mineral trade, lack of monitoring technology for oil exports, and legal disputes over mining contracts involving international corporations.

• The DRC's constitutional plan to increase the number of provinces from 11 to 26 and decentralise functions like tax collection has seen no progress since the constitution's adoption on 18 February 2006, leading the Ituri province to threaten unilateral demarcation on 15 May 2010.
• Oil and natural gas deposits in border regions shared with Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania are becoming regional flashpoints. Specifically, tensions exist with Uganda over the border location in Lake Albert, and there are claims that companies in Angola may be illegally exploiting oil reserves within DRC territory.
• The DRC lacks the technology and capacity to monitor crude oil flows, with a reported extraction rate of 25,000 barrels per day that policymakers question for accuracy.
• The UN peacekeeping mission transitioned from MONUC to MONUSCO in June 2010 to emphasize the stabilisation of institutional and territorial space, maintaining a military deployment of 19,815 personnel while withdrawing 2,000 members.
• The Stabilisation and Reconstruction (STAREC) programme, launched in November 2009, aims to restore state authority and basic institutional infrastructure, such as courts and police, in areas cleared of insurgents.
• International business actors face high insecurity regarding contracts; for instance, the DRC government suspended the Kingamyambo Musonoi Tailings project in 2009, leading Canada-based First Quantum Minerals to seek international arbitration.
• The DRC is moving toward greater transparency in extractive activities, with its first Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) report covering 120 companies and 63 taxes, and expected validation as an EITI member by 9 September 2010.

APA

de Kock, P. (2010). The DRC at 50: Confronting the Challenges of Peace and Territorial Consolidation. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-22.pdf

Chicago

de Kock, Petrus. The DRC at 50: Confronting the Challenges of Peace and Territorial Consolidation. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2010. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-22.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=de Kock |first1=Petrus |title=The DRC at 50: Confronting the Challenges of Peace and Territorial Consolidation |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=22 August 2010 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-22.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dekock2010drc, author = {de Kock, Petrus}, title = {{The DRC at 50: Confronting the Challenges of Peace and Territorial Consolidation}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2010}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Policy-Briefing-22.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }