KINHASA, 24 April, 2021 (TON): The Democratic Republic of Congo claimed for billions as it accused Uganda of barbarity over a brutal war 20 years ago.

The accusation was made at the UN’s top court with Kampala telling the International Court of Justice that the suffering of the 1998-2003 war was disproportionate.

On Tuesday, at the hearing at the Hague-based court, Uganda’s Attorney General William Byaruhanga rejected the staggering demands by Kinshasa.

Byaruhanga said, "As a matter of international law, and state practice Uganda considered the DRC's unbending demands to be both unfounded and excessive in the extreme. So the parties again stand before this court. What has changed after the DRC revived the case? Nothing except that that the DRC reduced its demand from roughly US dollars 23.5 to almost US dollars 13.5 billion. This significant drop only confirms that the DRC's claims are rooted in tactics, not reality.''

However, previously, the International Court of Justice had ruled in 2005 that Uganda had to pay Kinshasa reparations for invading its territory during the war leaving 3 million people dead.

But now, the court must make its final ruling on the amount of compensation after both countries failed to strike a deal via negotiations.