Kisangani, January 19th, 2025 (CPA) – A call for calm has been issued to victims of the six-day war between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies in Kisangani, in the province of Tshopo, in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to a statement released on Monday. ‘We call on the people of the Grande Orientale region, and more particularly the victims of Uganda’s illegal activities, to remain calm, patient and highly responsible, pending the imminent resumption of the compensation process,’ read the statement signed by Deba Lolia, head of Frivao’s communications unit. ‘There is therefore no longer any cause for concern or suspicion: the activities of the Fund for Reparation and Compensation for Victims of Uganda’s Illegal Activities (Frivao) will soon resume,’ the source added. He noted that the coordination team, led by Monsignor François Mwarabu and reinstated last December by the Minister of Justice, Guillaume Ngefa, is still awaiting guidance from the supervisory authority before returning to Kisangani to prepare for the resumption of activities. ‘At the next meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of State will present the situation in order to obtain the Government’s directives, which will then be forwarded to the coordination team to ensure the smooth running of the victim compensation process,’ he added.
The reinstated FRIVAO coordination body had been suspended by the former Minister of State for Justice, Constant Mutamba, who had installed a new interim management team on August 12th, 2024. In May 2025, this interim coordination team reported that after eight months of management, more than 14,000 victims had been compensated in the first phase, receiving $2,000 each. The Six-Day War was a series of deadly clashes between the Ugandan and Rwandan armies in Kisangani, DRC, from 5 to 10 June 2000, during the Second Congo War. The clashes caused around 1,000 deaths and at least 3,000 injuries, the majority of which were among the civilian population [].
The city of Kisangani had already suffered clashes between Rwandan and Ugandan troops in August 1999 and on May 5th, 2000. However, the clashes in June 2000 were the deadliest and seriously damaged a large part of the city of Kisangani, with 7,000 to 10,000 shells fired.