Uganda has paid the first installment of $325 million to the Democratic Republic of the Congo as compensation for damages incurred by hostilities in the 1990s when Ugandan forces controlled Congolese territory.
Congo sued the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 1999 to force Uganda to pay it $11 billion in reparations for killings, theft, and general economic harm caused by Uganda’s military occupation of portions of Congo in the 1990s.
“It is correct that we have paid $65 million as the first installment,” Finance Ministry Spokesman Apollo Munghinda said on Monday, adding that the payment was made on September 1.
Congo’s government spokesperson, Patrick Muyaya, verified receipt of the first of five installments.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the highest court of the United Nations, decided in 2005 that Uganda had violated international law by occupying sections of eastern Congo and supporting other armed groups during a war that lasted from 1998 to 2003.
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The court, which hears disputes between states and issues final, non-appealable judgments, ordered the two sides to arrange damages. However, Congo informed the court in 2015 that the discussions had broken down.
In February of this year, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that Uganda should pay $325 million in five $65 million installments beginning in September of this year.
