African state suspends defense ties with Germany
Uganda has suspended defense cooperation with Germany in response to the latter's ambassador allegedly being involved with hostile groups said to be working against the East African country's government.
Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) spokesperson Chris Magezi announced the decision in an official statement posted on the army's website on Monday, citing 'credible intelligence reports' as the basis.
'His Excellency Matthias Schauer is actively engaged in subversive activities in the country,' the statement read.
'The suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the matter of the ambassador's involvement with hostile pseudo political-military forces operating in the country against the Ugandan government,' Magezi added.
Schauer, who has served as Germany's envoy to Uganda since 2020, has not publicly responded to the allegations. However, the EU state has reportedly rejected the accusations. According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry called the claims 'absurd and without any merit' and rejected them 'in the strongest terms.'
The UPDF statement did not specify the groups in question or detail the nature of the alleged misconduct. According to local media reports, the accusations came after the ambassador privately protested to Presidential Advisor on Defense and Security General Salim Saleh, about 'threatening' social media posts by Uganda's military chief, Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
Earlier this month, Kainerugaba, who is also the son of President Yoweri Museveni, warned that the EU was 'playing with fire' after a group of EU diplomats met with senior members of the opposition National Unity Platform party.
Germany has engaged in defense-related cooperation across Africa, often involving training and security support, although specific details of its military ties with Uganda have not been made public. The spokesperson for the German Foreign Office said there is no formalized military cooperation between Berlin and Kampala, cited by Reuters.
Ugandan troops are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, which receives partial funding from the EU.
Kampala has in recent months expressed increased concern about what it calls foreign interference in domestic affairs, warning of covert support for opposition actors by international missions.
The diplomatic fallout adds to a broader pattern of tension between Western powers and African governments. Several countries in the region – particularly in the Sahel – have also cut defense ties with France, accusing it of aggression and meddling in their internal affairs.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
3 days ago
- Russia Today
Namibian descendant calls for justice over colonial-era genocide
A descendant of Namibia's OvaHerero and Nama peoples, Thrive Vinomaandero Mahua, has called for greater accountability and reparations from Germany over its colonial-era atrocities in Namibia. The OvaHerero and Nama genocide, carried out by the German Empire in present-day Namibia between 1904 and 1908, was the first genocide of the 20th century. It targeted the two groups through a campaign of ethnic extermination and collective punishment in what was then German South West Africa. Speaking to RT, Mahua recounted the personal toll the genocide had taken and expressed frustration over the prolonged delay in reaching a just resolution. She said the events tore families apart, and it was only after Namibia's independence that many displaced individuals were able to reconnect with their relatives. Although Berlin officially recognized the genocide of the OvaHerero and Nama peoples in 2021, more than a century after the atrocities, negotiations over reparations have remained deadlocked. The transition to a new German government, she added, has only introduced further uncertainty about whether these talks will resume. Mahua noted that a proposed €1.1 billion aid package was rejected by traditional leaders from both affected communities, who argued that the funds should be allocated directly to survivors and their descendants, rather than to national development projects. Mahua stated that no monetary figure could ever truly compensate for the suffering inflicted. 'What is the price for a life?' she asked. She further argued that the Namibian genocide deserves the same level of recognition and accountability as the Holocaust, pointing out that many practices later associated with the Nazis, such as concentration camps, had earlier precedents in her country during the German colonial occupation. According to Mahua, it is inconsistent for Berlin to take full responsibility for one atrocity while treating another with markedly less seriousness. 'As the descendants of those that have been affected, we should not allow them to forget days such as the Genocide Remembrance Day,' Mahua stressed. She emphasized the need for continuous public engagement, remembrance days, and open discussion. 'We need to make it uncomfortable,' she said, urging activists to keep speaking out until there is a meaningful response.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Russia Today
Ukraine training terror groups in Africa
Ukraine is training jihadist fighters and supporting terrorist groups in Africa's Sahel region, a Russian Foreign Ministry official has said, accusing Kiev of funneling Western-supplied weapons to militants operating across the continent. Tatyana Dovgalenko, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Partnership with Africa, made the remarks on Thursday at the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues in Moscow. Representatives of 104 countries, including African delegations, have gathered at the event to discuss a new global security architecture. 'The Kiev regime continues systematic efforts to destabilize the continent, collaborating with terrorist networks in the Sahel, particularly by training and organizing militants,' Dovgalenko said, according to TASS. 'There is evidence that the arms delivered to Ukraine by Western states are being transferred to terrorist factions operating in various global regions, including Africa,' she added. Moscow has made terrorism and counter-extremism a central focus of its security cooperation with African states, particularly those in the Sahel, which have been embroiled in a decade-long jihadist insurgency. Dovgalenko noted that terrorist groups have adapted to modern technologies and shifting counterterrorism strategies, warning that nearly 60% of global terrorism deaths in 2024 occurred in Africa, with the Sahel accounting for 20% of the continent's attacks. Ukraine has been at the center of a growing diplomatic storm in the Sahel region since an ambush by Tuareg rebels in July 2024 left dozens of Malian soldiers and Russian Wagner Group contractors dead. Reports have claimed that Ukrainian military intelligence supplied information used in the deadly attack. Moscow and the Alliance of Sahel States made up of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger have jointly denounced Kiev's 'criminal alliance' with extremist groups. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier accused Ukraine of openly abetting terrorists in the region. Mali cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine in August. Niger followed suit shortly afterwards, with Burkina Faso later confirming its relations with Kiev were effectively frozen. Ukraine has denied the allegations. Last month, Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop said Kiev must be held accountable for fueling instability in Africa, which has resulted not only in the deaths of Malian soldiers but also in civilian casualties. The West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso officially quit in January, also warned against 'foreign interference' that threatens the region's peace and security. In a speech on Wednesday marking 50 years since the group's formation, ECOWAS Commission President Omar Alieu Touray identified terrorism as one of the 'formidable' challenges facing the community and called for collective efforts to address the crisis.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Russia Today
US military command could exit Africa
Washington's Africa military command (AFRICOM) has announced plans to reassess its presence on the continent, as countries increasingly rethink defense ties with the West and shift alliances. AFRICOM commander General Michael Langley told reporters in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, on Tuesday, that he had already discussed the matter with several African defense ministers and heads of state. 'I've talked to a number of ministers of defense and a few presidents and told them we were assessing,' Langley said, according to Reuters. 'That's what I tell them… if we're that important to [you], you need to communicate that and we'll see,' he added. The move follows reports in the US media that President Donald Trump's administration is considering merging AFRICOM with Washington's European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, citing potential efficiencies. AFRICOM was established in 2008, ostensibly to consolidate US military efforts on the continent and offer a response to growing security concerns, including Islamist insurgencies. However, its influence has declined in parts of Africa. Washington had previously insisted on finding a way to maintain its military presence in the region despite being ordered to remove its forces from significant areas, including key Sahel states – Niger and Chad. Last September, the Pentagon completed the withdrawal of assets and approximately 1,000 troops from a $100 million base in Niger, following a request by the West African country's government, whose military leadership cited the contingent's failure to curb jihadist militants in the Sahel. The US Department of Defense also withdrew around 70 personnel from an air base near N'Djamena, the capital of Chad – America's only military site in the country – after receiving a similar request from Chadian authorities. Despite recent setbacks, Reuters quoted Langley as saying that the US continues to maintain some intelligence-sharing arrangements with military regimes in the Sahel and is exploring 'other ways to continue to stay engaged.' France has also been forced to withdraw from Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, as the governments in those countries pursue alternative alliances, including closer ties with Russia.
