The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda are once again facing each other for ten days before the International Court of Justice. In 2005, this UN court had already found Uganda guilty of interference in the eastern DRC, occupied by the Ugandan Army between 1998 and 2003.
Kinshasa and Kampala should have agreed on the amount of reparation, but fifteen years was not enough. In the absence of an agreement, the DRC turned again to the International Court of Justice. And before its 15 judges, diplomat Paul Crispin Kakhozi Bin Bulongo recalled the scale of the crimes
“The damage suffered by my country as a result of Uganda’s actions has been colossal. The illicit acts committed by Uganda against the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken the lives of many of our soldiers, profoundly and permanently affected its infrastructure and environment, devastated its civilian population, and depleted its economy and natural resources.
The magistrates noted the responsibility of the Ugandan army and its auxiliary militias in the torture, murder, destruction, looting and illegal exploitation of natural resources in the rich Ituri region.
The DRC is claiming more than $13 billion. Kinshasa estimates that 400,000 people have died, 1,730 have been raped, 2,500 children have been recruited and 600,000 civilians have fled their homes as a result of Uganda’s actions alone… Uganda rejects the Congolese assessment and the amount requested. Kampala will respond to the Congolese pleas on Thursday. In order to assess the damages, the ICJ judges will rely on the reports of four experts, whose hearings are expected in the coming days.