Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has issued an apology to the United States, over his earlier statement, that the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) would cease its cooperation with US Embassy in Kampala.
General Muhoozi issued the apology through a post on his X handle on Monday morning, stating that his earlier remarks were based on incorrect information that had been provided to him.
He said the tweet had been deleted and that engagements with the US Ambassador to Uganda have since helped ease tensions. He added that UPDF will continue with the military cooperation.
“I want to apologise to our great friends the United States for my earlier tweets that I have now deleted. I was being fed with wrong information. I have spoken with the US Ambassador to our country and everything is okay. We are going to continue our military cooperation as usual,” Muhoozi wrote on X.
Muhoozi, who is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, has been increasingly remained vocal on social media, especially following the elections, in which his father emerged victorious over opposition leader Bobi Wine.
He alleged that the US Embassy colluded with Bobi Wine to stage his own kidnapping, citing this as the reason behind the suspension of all cooperations between UPDF and the United States.
“Fellow Ugandans, because of the present situation where an opposition leader kidnapped himself and is missing, and according to our best intelligence, did all this in coordination with the current administration at the US Embassy in our country. We as UPDF suspend ALL cooperation with the current administration at the US Embassy in Kampala. This includes our work in Somalia,” Muhoozi declared.
General Muhoozi further lamented that bureaucrats at the US Embassy in Kampala have been undermining for a decade now, the security co-operation between Uganda and Washington DC.
“The very precious security co-operation between Uganda and the United States has been undermined for a decade now (since 2015) by unimaginative bureaucrats at the Embassy. This is despite the excellent political relations between the two countries,” he added.
In another post on Sunday January 25, Muhoozi had declared that Uganda would retaliate with sanctions should the US take similar action.
The remarks were made in response to a statement by US Senator Jim Risch, the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who had issued a terse comment on Uganda’s recent elections.
