Twenty-four years ago, from 5 - 10 June 2000, brutal fighting between Rwandan and Ugandan forces ravaged the city of Kisangani in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). For six agonizing days, Kisangani became a battleground of two foreign armies, racing to control the natural resources-rich and strategic region, with heavy weaponry raining down on civilians. Estimates suggest over 1,000 civilian lives were lost, with thousands more injured and displaced. The city itself suffered immense damage, a physical scar upon the landscape mirroring the trauma inflicted upon its people from which it hasn't recovered to date. The most egregious aspect of this war, as it is also for so many conflicts in the DRC, is the appalling lack or delay of justice and reparations for the victims and survivors. And while there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel about some financial reparation, the lack of individual criminal accountability for the atrocities committed in Kisangani is a colossal disappointment.
The most egregious aspect of this war, as it is also for so many conflicts in the DRC, is the appalling lack or delay of justice and reparations for the victims and survivors.Christian Rumu, Senior Campaigner, ESARO
In 2005, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Uganda was responsible for human rights violations in the DRC between 1998 and 2003, including those committed in Kisangani. By 2022, the court awarded $325 million (payable in $65 million/year) as compensation to the DRC, including $225 million "for loss of life, serious bodily injury, sexual violence, recruitment and deployment of child soldiers, and population displacement." However, Rwanda remained off the hook. In 2006, the ICJ ruled it had no jurisdiction over the matter brought by DRC against Rwanda. Uganda made its first payment after the court decision in September 2022. Since then, there isn't much communication on the rest of the instalments Uganda owes, casting doubts on whether the country will honour the court's order. In April 2023, the DRC government set up a national trust fund (Fonds spécial de réparation et d'indemnisation des victimes des activités armées de l'Ouganda - FRIVAO) to manage the compensation for victims and survivors of the wars in Kisangani. Earlier this year, victims complained that the process of identifying the compensation recipients was taking too long and threatened to demonstrate. The fund officials have promised disbursements for victims of Kisangani in the near future, without a clear timeline.
While it is somehow satisfactory to see some progress in the efforts to compensate victims of the atrocities in Kisangani, it remains deeply concerning that less attention has been paid to individual criminal responsibilities for what happened 24 years ago. There has never a thorough investigation to establish individual responsibilities for the atrocities committed in Kisangani. Many Congolese who participated in the atrocities alongside the Rwandan or the Ugandan officers, later integrated in the Congolese armed forces. Ugandan and Rwandan officers involved in these atrocities have never been brought by their respective countries to account for their individual responsibility. As long as parties to conflicts in the DRC continue to be shielded from accountability, crimes against civilians will never cease. This accountability should be both at the country (as it has been in the case of Uganda through the ICJ's 2005 ruling) and individual levels. Only by integrating these two strategies to combat endemic impunity can we hope to break the cycle of violence in the DRC. This approach may create a deterrent against future acts of violences that affect civilians by individuals who continue to commit human rights violations and countries like Rwanda, which is now accused by the United Nations of causing immense suffering in North Kivu by supporting the M23 armed group.
Breaking the silence on impunity over these past atrocities is crucial. The wounds of war fester without closure. The path to healing for the DRC is long, but it begins with acknowledging the wrongs of the past. The 24th year anniversary of the Six-Day War in Kisangani is a stark reminder that accountability cannot be an afterthought. It is a debt owed to the victims, survivors, the whole country and the Great Lakes region--a necessary step towards genuine commitment to uphold and respect of human rights and a message that such brutality will not be tolerated.
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The 24th year anniversary of the Six-Day War in Kisangani is a stark reminder that accountability cannot be an afterthought. It is a debt owed to the victims, survivors, the whole country and the Great Lakes region--a necessary step towards genuine commitment to uphold and respect of human rights and a message that such brutality will not be tolerated.Christian Rumu
Until then, we must remember the lives lost, the survivors striving to rebuild, and the city forever scarred by violence. Let us honor the memory of those lost in Kisangani by steadfastly demanding justice and accountability for all victims and by working to end the pervasive culture of impunity in the DRC.
Christian Rumu is senior campaigner, Amnesty International, East and Southern Africa Regional Office
