The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has called for stronger governance of its natural resources, saying improved oversight and transparent mineral supply chains are essential to ending conflict and curbing illegal mining, particularly in the country’s eastern region.
Speaking before the United Nations Security Council, DRC Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie, Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, said the country’s vast natural resource wealth should be a driver of peace and economic development rather than a source of instability.
The DRC is endowed with some of the world’s richest mineral resources, significant hydroelectric potential, extensive agricultural land, and the Congo Basin rainforest, one of the planet’s largest carbon sinks. Despite these advantages, the country has struggled to ensure that its natural wealth translates into meaningful benefits for its citizens.
According to Wagner, achieving lasting peace in eastern DRC requires tackling the illegal exploitation of natural resources, dismantling armed groups, cutting off their sources of financing, and disrupting the networks that enable minerals from conflict-affected areas to enter international supply chains.
She noted that illegal mining and mineral smuggling continue to provide financial support to armed groups and criminal organisations, fuelling violence and undermining stability across the region.
Wagner stressed that breaking these illicit networks is critical if the DRC is to establish sustainable peace and create an environment where its natural resources contribute to national development instead of conflict.
Her remarks come at a time when global demand for critical minerals continues to rise, increasing the strategic importance of the DRC, which is home to some of the world’s largest reserves of cobalt, copper, coltan, lithium, and other minerals essential to clean energy technologies and advanced manufacturing.
The minister concluded by urging the international community to strengthen natural resource governance, promote transparent and responsible supply chains, and intensify efforts to combat illegal resource exploitation. She said these measures are vital to ensuring the DRC’s mineral wealth becomes a catalyst for peace, economic growth, and improved livelihoods for its people.
