The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Uganda must pay the Democratic Republic of Congo $325m (£240m) in compensation for invading and occupying Ituri province between 1998 and 2003.
ICJ chief judge Joan Donoghue broke down what the reparations were for:
- $225m for damage to persons
- $40m for damage to property
- $60m for plundering natural resources – including gold, diamonds, tungsten and timber.
The amoun is a tiny fraction of the $11bn demanded by the Congolese government.
Uganda says ruling is unfair and wrong
Uganda said on Thursday it considered as unfair and wrong an International Court of Justice ruling asking it to pay $325 million in reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo for its role in conflicts in Congo’s resource-rich Ituri province.
“While the amount awarded is far less than that sought by the DC, Uganda nevertheless considers the judgment unfair and wrong, just as the previous 2005 judgement on liability was unfair and wrong,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The case goes back many years: In 2005 the ICJ ordered the neighbours to negotiate mutual reparations – but they were unable to reach an agreement, with DR Congo pushing the case back to the court in 2015.
This ruling is final but the ICJ doesn’t have any powers to enforce it.
