Latest news with #UgandaGermanyRelations
Russia Today
27-05-2025
- General
- Russia Today
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.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Uganda suspends military ties with Germany after accusing envoy of 'subversive activities'
Uganda's army has announced the suspension of all military cooperation with Germany after accusing its ambassador, Mathias Schauer, of being involved in "subversive activities" and of being "wholly unqualified" to be in the East African army did not back-up its claim but its decision signals a sharp deterioration in relations between the two nations. Rejecting the accusations, a German foreign ministry spokesperson called them "absurd and without any merit", the Reuters news agency highly unusual attack on Schauer came after he reportedly raised concerns about army chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the president's son, at a meeting last week. On X recently, the general threatened to behead opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Kainerugaba also boasted about torturing Wine's bodyguard after detaining groups have long accused the Ugandan government of targeting the opposition, especially in the run-up to is expected to run against President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for nearly four decades, in an election due next critics allege that the government is run by a family dynasty - his wife, Janet Museveni is the minister of education, and his brother, Gen Salim Saleh, is the chief coordinator of a government programme known as Operation Wealth Saleh held a private meeting with European Union (EU) diplomats last week, where Schauer - Germany's ambassador to Uganda since 2020 - raised concerns about the army chief's controversial tweets, and the "reputational damage" it was causing to Uganda, local media reported. Gen Kainerugaba hit back with a post on Sunday, saying he was "having issues" with the German ambassador "that has to do with him as a person"."He is wholly unqualified to be in Uganda. It has nothing to do with the great German people. Whom I admire a lot," he a separate statement, army spokesman Col Chris Magezi said Uganda was suspending with immediate effect all defence and military cooperation with Germany because of "credible intelligence reports" that Schauer was involved in "subversive activities". "The suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the matter of the Ambassador's involvement with pseudo political-military forces operating in the country against the Ugandan government," the statement added, without giving evidence to substantiate its its website, Germany's embassy in Uganda said that bilateral trade between the two nations was worth around $335m (£247m) in 2024, and their relationship was based on "stability and trust".It did not give details of military cooperation between the two nations. Uganda is heavily involved in peacekeeping operations, including in Somalia where it is helping to fight armed Islamist groups trying to overthrow the government. You may also be interested in: Anger as Uganda president's son says he's holding opposition bodyguardHow a Ugandan opposition leader disappeared in Kenya and ended up in military courtSocial media ban in Uganda raises questions over regulation in AfricaTikToker jailed for 32 months for insulting Uganda's presidentHow an ex-rebel has stayed in power for 35 yearsUgandan internet propaganda network exposed by the BBC Go to for more news from the African us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Al Arabiya
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Uganda cuts military ties with Germany over ambassador's ‘subversive activities'
Uganda's military has severed all military cooperation with Germany after it accused Berlin's ambassador to Kampala of involvement in 'subversive activities' in the East African country, its spokesperson said. 'The Uganda People's Defense Forces has with immediate effect suspended all ongoing defense and military cooperation activities with the Federal Republic of Germany,' UPDF spokesperson Chris Magezi said in a statement posted on X platform on Sunday. The decision was 'in response to credible intelligence reports that the current German Ambassador to Uganda His Excellency Mathias Schauer is actively engaged in subversive activities in the country,' Magezi said. He did not give details of those activities or details of any existing military cooperation between Uganda and Germany. Germany's embassy in Kampala did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Uganda has its troops in the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia, AUSSOM, which is partly funded by the European Union, of which Germany is a member. In a post on the X platform on Sunday, Uganda's military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba said the military was having problems with Schauer as a person. 'It has to do with him as a person. He is wholly unqualified to be in Uganda. It has nothing to do with the great German people,' said Kainerugaba. The spokesperson for Uganda's ministry of foreign affairs could not be reached for comment as her phone was switched off. Kainerugaba, the son of President Yoweri Museveni and widely seen as heir apparent, is widely known for his inflammatory posts on social media which have included threats to Western diplomats in Kampala. This month he warned the EU was 'playing with fire' after a group of EU ambassadors met officials from Uganda's largest opposition party including its leader, pop star-turned-politician, Bobi Wine.
