The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has announced the immediate suspension of all defence and military cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye, marking a dramatic escalation in political and diplomatic friction between Kampala and Ankara.
In an official statement issued in Kampala, the military stated that the freeze took effect immediately and would remain indefinite. The suspension halts all ongoing collaborative security measures pending the resolution of what the military termed “outstanding matters concerning bilateral defence and military cooperation”.
“The UPDF has with immediate effect suspended all and any Defence and Military cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye,” noted Colonel Chris Magezi, Acting Director of Defence Public Information at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs. While the military’s statement did not explicitly enumerate the specific grievances behind the decision, the move follows weeks of heightened tensions involving high-ranking military leadership and intense street protests.
The abrupt breakdown caps months of simmering friction that has increasingly drawn in Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba. Just days prior to the military’s announcement, widespread demonstrations led by the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) took place outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala. Protesters strongly demanded that Ankara extradite Fred Kajubi Lumbuye, a prominent Ugandan political dissident and online critic residing in Türkiye, back to Uganda to face criminal charges.
Ugandan authorities have long accused Lumbuye of utilizing foreign soil to spread harmful propaganda, orchestrate cybercrimes, and incite public unrest targeting top government officials. The demonstrations and subsequent political posturing placed severe strain on diplomatic channels, leading to the temporary closure of the Turkish Embassy and escalating rhetoric from military officials warning that domestic advocacy for Turkish interests would face strict legal repercussions.
This suspension deals a heavy blow to a strategic security partnership that spans three decades. Formal military ties between Uganda and Türkiye were first initiated in 1996 when Ankara began offering specialized training programs to Ugandan special forces. Relations were significantly deepened on June 1, 2016, when both nations signed a comprehensive Military Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during a high-profile diplomatic visit.
The 2016 framework paved the way for expansive cooperation encompassing joint military training, mutual high-level visits, intelligence sharing, counter-terrorism operations, and a vital defence-industries agreement aimed at technology transfer and local manufacturing. As recently as late 2024, military officials from both countries met in Entebbe to explore further acquisitions of advanced Turkish military hardware and equipment.
Despite the severe freeze on military coordination, analysts note that the UPDF statement stops short of a complete severance of formal diplomatic ties. The door remains open for bilateral dialogue should Ankara address Kampala’s core concerns. For now, however, both nations stand to lose strategic advantages, with Uganda pausing access to key Turkish defense training programs and Ankara losing a long-standing security footprint in East Africa.
