ICJ: Uganda Must Pay Reparations to DRC [1]
On February 9, 2022, The International Court of Justice in Armed Activities on the Territory of the Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Uganda) issued its judgment [3], on the questions of reparations, fixing the amount of compensation “due from the Republic of Uganda to the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC] for the damage caused by the violations of international obligations by the Republic of Uganda, as found by the Court in its Judgment of 19 December 2005.” The judgment falls on the backdrop of a dispute concerning “acts of armed aggression" perpetrated by Uganda on the territory of the DRC. The judgment issued hundreds of millions of dollars to DRC per violations (damages) to person, property, and natural resources respectively ("loss of human life, loss of natural resources and property damage"). The parties disagreed about the scope of Uganda’s obligation to make reparations for the injury suffered in two different situations. However, the Court found that “Uganda had violated certain obligations incumbent on it and was under an obligation to make reparation to the DRC for the injury caused.” The Court noted that “the reparation awarded to the DRC for damage to persons and to property reflects the harm suffered by individuals and communities as a result of Uganda’s breach of its international obligations.” In total, the Court found that Uganda owed the DRC upwards of 325 million USD for violations of said obligations.