Uganda has respected ICJ verdict and paid the first installment in Congo war reparations.
Uganda has paid the first installment of $325 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as compensation for losses caused by wars in the 1990s when Ugandan forces occupied Congolese territory.
Congo petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to order Uganda to pay it $11 billion as reparations for the deaths, looting, and general economic damages caused by Uganda’s military occupation of regions of Congo in the 1990s. This request was made in a lawsuit that was initially brought against Uganda in 1999.
“It’s true we have paid $65 million as the first instalment,” said on Monday Finance Ministry Spokesman Apollo Munghinda, adding the payment was made on September 1.
Patrick Muyaya, a spokesman for the Congolese government, confirmed that the first of five installments had been received.
Uganda was found to have broken international law by occupying parts of eastern Congo and aiding other armed groups during a conflict that lasted from 1998 to 2003, according to a 2005 decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the UN.
The state-to-state dispute resolution court, whose decisions are final and not subject to review, ordered the parties to negotiate reparations. Congo nonetheless informed the court that the negotiations had halted in 2015.
In February 2022, the justices of the ICJ announced their decision, ordering Uganda to pay $325 million over five years, beginning in September of this year, in installments of $65 million annually.
