CONGO DEMANDS $10 BN IN REPARATIONS FROM UGANDA

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 000640

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: PREL PHUM CG
SUBJECT: CONGO DEMANDS $10 BN IN REPARATIONS FROM UGANDA


Classified By: Poloff Edward Bestic for Reasons 1.4 B and D


1. (U) SUMMARY: The International Court of Justice began
hearings on April 11 on Congo's suit against Uganda for
crimes allegedly committed by Ugandan forces operating in the
Congo from 1998-2003. The Congolese reportedly asked for $10
billion in reparations from Uganda. END SUMMARY.

Background
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2. (U) In 1999, the GDRC filed a motion with the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Ugandan and
Rwandan governments, accusing the two countries of aggression
and demanding they make restitution for property and national
resources looted by Ugandans during the conflict. In
November 2003, the ICJ accepted a Congolese request to
postpone the hearing to allow for negotiations.

Hearings Resume
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3. (U) According to press accounts, the ICJ began hearing the
DRC's case against Uganda on April 11. The Congolese
delegation, headed by Justice Minister Honorius Kisimba Ngoy,
reportedly called for the Ugandans to pay $10 billion in
reparations for a host of crimes allegedly committed by
Ugandan forces in the Congo from 1998-2003, including murder,
human rights abuses, destruction of public property and
illegal exploitation of the Congo's natural resources. The
Congolese also reportedly claimed that the Ugandans' main
objective had been to overthrow the Congolese government in
Kinshasa, and cited public statements by Ugandan authorities
to bolster their case. Press accounts said the Ugandan side
rejected these accusations and explained that Uganda had
acted to protect its own territory from rebels based in the
DRC.

COMMENT
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4. (C) The hearing is scheduled to continue at least until
April 22. The GDRC's decision to pursue the case now, after
having shelved it for over a year, perhaps reflects Congolese
decision-makers' desire to burnish their nationalist
credentials in advance of elections. The timing is odd,
however, given that the GDRC is counting on Ugandan support
on regional issues and the Tripartite process. END COMMENT.
MEECE