Democratic Republic of the Congo–Uganda relations

Democratic Republic of the Congo–Uganda relations are the bilateral diplomatic relations between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The two countries share a state border that is 877 km long.

History

During the First Congo War (1996–1997), Uganda People's Defence Force fought alongside the AFDL, led by Laurent-Désiré Kabila, against Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko, achieving victory. During the Second Congo War (1998–2003), Uganda supported rebel groups, including the Congolese Rally for Congolese Democracy Liberation Movement, which fought against the central government in Kinshasa.

In 2004, the leaders of the Great Lakes region and the United Nations committed to ending hostilities between tribes, rebels, and militias, including in northeastern Congo, where the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC), established in 1999, supports more than 16,500 peacekeepers. Rebels from the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda continue to seek refuge in Garamba National Park in DR Congo amid ongoing peace negotiations with the Ugandan government. Uganda and DR Congo dispute the ownership of Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert and other areas along the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential. In 2020, 415,098 refugees from DR Congo were residing in Uganda.

Trade

In 2018, Uganda's exports to DR Congo amounted to US$533 million. In 2019, the total trade volume between the two countries reached US$532 million, of which US$30 million consisted of goods from DR Congo.

See also

• Foreign relations of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Foreign relations of Uganda

References

Uganda Democratic Republic of the Congo