Uganda suspends military cooperation with Germany

NAIROBI: Uganda has “suspended” all military cooperation with Germany, its army said on Sunday, claiming the German ambassador “engaged in subversive activities” in the east African country.

The army earlier accused some European embassies of supporting “negative and traitorous groups”, singling out German ambassador Matthias Schauer. It followed reports that diplomats had criticised the behaviour of President Yoweri Museveni´s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is head of the army.

Kainerugaba, who is considered most likely to succeed his 80-year-old father as president, is known for his colourful social media posts. He has frequently threatened members of the opposition online and recently boasted of kidnapping and torturing the bodyguard of the country´s main opposition leader in his basement.

“The Uganda People´s Defence Forces (UPDF) has with immediate effect suspended all ongoing defence and military cooperation activities with the Federal Republic of Germany,” said army spokesman Chris Magezi on X. “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. Whom I admire a lot,” Kainerugaba wrote.