The Ugandan government is in the process of allocating billions of shillings to compensate the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for resources looted during the Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) deployment in the DRC. As outlined in the national budget framework paper for the 2024/25 financial year, a sum of Shs247 billion has been earmarked for this purpose.

This decision is rooted in a 2001 UN report that found Uganda’s military responsible for plundering various resources, such as minerals, coffee, timber, and livestock, during an earlier mission in the DRC. In February 2022, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Uganda must pay $325 million (equivalent to Shs1.234 trillion) to the DRC as restitution for these actions.

The government’s inclusion of this financial commitment in the upcoming fiscal year’s budget indicates its acknowledgment of international legal decisions and its intent to fulfill reparations for the damages caused during its military involvement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.