World

World court orders Uganda to pay DR Congo

By AAP Newswire

Feb 10, 2022

Ugandan soldiers who had been in DR Congo return in 2001 — Uganda must pay the Democratic Republic of Congo $US325 million in compensation, justices say. -AP

Judges at the International Court of Justice have ruled that Uganda must pay $US325 million ($A452 million) in reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo for its role in conflicts in DR Congo's resource-rich Ituri province.

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"The court sets out the total amount of compensation awarded to the Democratic Republic of Congo which is $US325 million," presiding judge Joan Donoghue said.

Uganda must pay the sum in five yearly instalments of $US65 million to start in September of this year, she added.

The total award is far short of the more than $US11 billion DR Congo had asked for but the court dismissed several claims including all the claims for macroeconomic damage, saying there was insufficient evidence to support Congo's calculations.

The long-running dispute was first brought before the United Nations' highest court in 1999.

After lengthy proceedings, the court ruled in 2005 that Uganda had violated international law by occupying parts of the eastern DR Congolese province with its own troops and supporting other armed groups during a war that raged from 1998 to 2003.

The court ordered the African neighbours to negotiate reparations but in 2015 DR Congo returned to the tribunal, saying the talks had stalled.

On Wednesday the court ruled on the final compensation amount.

Rulings by the ICJ, which deals with disputes between countries, are final and without appeal.