During the first quarter of the 2024/2025 fiscal year, the Ugandan government released Shs 247 billion as compensation to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for war crimes perpetrated in the eastern Congo by Ugandan troops.
“We have provided Shs 247 billion to settle our international obligation of the International Court of Justice award to the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Uganda, we pay our obligations,” said the Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary and Secretary to Treasury Ramadan Ggoobi on Tuesday.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo claimed that Uganda had committed acts of armed aggression against its territory and people, and it filed a complaint against Uganda at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in 1999.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) charged Ugandan military forces with many human rights violations and extensive looting.
Uganda was ordered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to pay $325 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as compensation for Uganda’s involvement in the internal strife in the DRC in 2022.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in 2003 that Uganda had violated international law when it occupied portions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The court came to the conclusion that Uganda was to blame for the deaths of 10,000–15,000 people in the eastern Ituri region.
Furthermore, it was determined that Ugandan soldiers had plucked precious materials such as timber, diamonds, and gold.
Despite the DRC’s $11 billion damage claim, the court rejected a number of the claim’s arguments and finally gave a far smaller award.
From 2022 to 2026, Uganda is required by the International Court of Justice to make five yearly payments totaling $65 million, with the first payment due in September.
Uganda has argued that the DRC’s demand for compensation in the billions of dollars would destroy its economy.
