Status: 09.02.2022 8:45 p.m
From 1998 to 2003, Uganda occupied Ituri Province in northeastern Congo. As early as 2005, it was judged that the country had broken international law. Now it is to pay 284 million euros in compensation to Congo.
The International Court of Justice has ruled that Uganda must pay 284 million euros in compensation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The money should be paid in five annual installments by 2026. The judgment is legally binding.
The reparations payments are intended to compensate Congo for the war in the north-eastern province of Ituri from 1998 to 2003. Up to 500,000 people were displaced and several thousand killed in the war.
Bilateral negotiations unsuccessful
The UN court based in The Hague has been dealing with the conflict in the resource-rich province since 1999. As early as 2005, it ruled that Uganda had violated international law by occupying Ituri and supporting armed forces.
Uganda and Congo were then supposed to negotiate bilaterally about reparations payments, but this was unsuccessful. In 2015, Congo appealed to the UN court again.
Difficult to determine the extent of the damage
Congo had demanded compensation of eleven billion US dollars. At a hearing in April, Uganda argued that payments of that magnitude could ruin the country’s economy.
According to the court, it is difficult to determine the exact number of victims of the war and the extent of the damage. Therefore, it fixed lump sums. 197 million euros are to be paid for personal injury, 35 million euros for damage to infrastructure and 52 million euros for the looting of raw materials such as gold, diamonds and ores.