In a recent landmark ruling, the United Nations’ top court ordered Uganda to pay over $325 million (€284 million) in reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling brings an end to Kinshasa’s legal battle against Kampala that started over two decades ago.
However, the directive is a far cry from the $11 billion the DRC initially demanded from its neighbor for a brutal 1998-2003 war.
Reading out the court’s verdict, Judge Joan E. Donoghue, the ICJ president, said reparations were compensatory and not meant to be punitive.
The court, in the ruling, directed that Uganda can pay the amount in installments of $65 million annually.
It would be recalled that Congo first brought the case before the court in 1999.
NCNC recalls that in 2005, the ICJ ruled Uganda had to pay compensation for invading Congo in a war that left hundreds of thousands of people dead and displaced millions.
At its zenith, the conflict drew in nine African countries, with Uganda and Rwanda backing rebel forces against the government in Kinshasa.
It was stated that The Hague-based court ordered the African neighbors to negotiate reparations, but they could not reach an agreement.
Local reports had it that in 2015, the DRC took the case back to the ICJ for a final decision on the amount of compensation. The DRC told the court it wanted more than $11 billion in reparations but Uganda said it could ruin its economy.
It is important to note that the ICJ rules in disputes between countries, and its decisions are final and cannot be appealed.
