«LEGAL DIPLOMACY AND CONGOLESE CONFLICT RESOLUTION IN LIGHT OF THE PRACTICES OF THE NATIONAL EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF CONGO (CENCO) AND THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IN CONGO (ECC)»

Abstract This study analyzes the role of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) and the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC) as actors of legal diplomacy in conflict resolution within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the face of fragile state institutions, these faith-based entities deploy a soft power strategy that converts their moral authority into technical expertise (Dumont, 2018). The analysis of their practices shows that CENCO and the ECC act as indispensable mediators, translating ethical imperatives into applicable legal norms, particularly during electoral and constitutional crises (Ost, 2005). Nevertheless, this study also highlights the limitations of their actions, as they confront structural impunity and the difficulty of imposing hard law constraints within a context of a crisis in the Rule of Law (Amos, 2010).