UGANDA / CONGO: The International Court of Justice yesterday ordered Uganda to pay reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo for the five-year occupation of its eastern regions.
The UN's highest judicial body ruled that Uganda's 1998-2003 intervention violated the DRC's sovereignty and led to the killing and torture of civilians and the destruction of villages. Kampala's claim that it acted in self-defence was dismissed in a ruling which piled fresh pressure on President Yoweri Museveni.
The court upheld Congo's claim that it had been the victim of unlawful military intervention. Kinshasa welcomed the ruling and said it would seek $6-$10bn in compensation, an estimate the court said would be appropriate.
Uganda's foreign minister, Okello Oryem, told Reuters the ruling was unfair. "We went in Congo to pursue rebels. We were not the only people in Congo."
More than three million died in fighting which spawned myriad Congolese militias and rebel groups and sucked in armies from Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, Angola and Namibia. Foreign forces withdrew after accords paved the way for Congo's current fragile peace.
"By the conduct of its armed forces, which committed acts of killing, torture and other forms of inhumane treatment of the Congolese civilian population ... [ Uganda] violated its obligations under international human rights law," Shi Jiuyong, president of the 17-member court based at The Hague, said in the judgment.
Yesterday's decision was a further blow to Mr Museveni (62), whose main rival, Kizza Besigye (49), appeared in court yesterday to be charged with treason and rape. Mr Besigye pleaded not guilty, claiming that the charges were politically motivated.
Sweden froze $5.1m in aid on Sunday because of Mr Museveni's behaviour. Britain, the Netherlands, Norway and Ireland have already frozen some of their aid.
Guardian Service