The International Court of Justice has ordered Uganda to pay $325 million in compensation to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The payment was for damages inflicted in the resource-rich province of Ituri from 1998 to 2003.

Uganda must pay the money to its neighbour in five annual instalments through 2026, the United Nations’ highest court ruled in a binding judgment in The Hague on Wednesday. 

An appeal is not possible.

The sum ordered to be paid by the judges was well below the $11 billion demanded by Congo.

The case stretched back years. In 2005, the judges ruled that Uganda broke international law with killings, sexual violence, recruitment of child soldiers and the displacement of people.

However, since the exact number of victims and the amount of damages could not be determined, the court set lump sums for Uganda’s reparations of $225 million for personal injuries; $40 million for damage to infrastructure and buildings.

While $60 million for the looting of natural resources such as gold, diamonds and ores.

During the conflict, Uganda had occupied parts of Congo’s north-eastern province of Ituri and supported armed militias.

The court had initially ordered both countries to negotiate the amount of compensation themselves.

But in 2015, Congo turned to the courts to settle the matter because the talks had failed. 

(dpa/NAN)