Nobel laureate Mukwege condemns $325 million diversion for Kisangani war reparations

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Denis Mukwege has called for sanctions against those responsible for embezzling $325 million designated for reparations to victims of the 1998 Kisangani "6-Day War." Mukwege highlighted the urgent need to bring perpetrators and their command structures to justice to break the cycle of violence and impunity.

"While Congolese institutions are riddled with corruption, we deplore with the utmost energy that the $325 million granted to the DRC by the International Court of Justice in 2022 as reparation for the damage suffered by individuals and communities due to Uganda's violation of its international obligations have vanished, and the victims and survivors are still awaiting reparations!" Mukwege stated on his X account.

“

While Congolese institutions are riddled with corruption, we deplore with the utmost energy that the $325 million granted to the DRC by the International Court of Justice in 2022 as reparation for the damage suffered by individuals and communities due to Uganda's violation of its international obligations have vanished, and the victims and survivors are still awaiting reparations!

He described the massive misappropriation of funds as an unacceptable insult to the victims, demanding an independent investigation to fully recover the money and prosecute those responsible. The "6-Day War" involved Rwandan and Ugandan armed forces on Congolese soil in Kisangani, with severe crimes documented in the UN Mapping Report.

The diversion of funds intended for victims of past atrocities underscores ongoing issues of corruption and impunity within Congolese institutions, despite international legal rulings aimed at providing redress.

“

These massive diversions of funds are an unacceptable insult to the victims and must be independently investigated to recover them in full. Their authors must be prosecuted and forced to return everything.