From cutting ties to ‘great friends’ within hours, Uganda’s defense chief cut ties with the United States on Friday. But just hours later, his tone changed, calling the US a “great friend” of Uganda.
He thanked “super diplomat” Adonia Ayebare “for quickly resolving any issues we may have had with our good friends, the United States of America.
what exactly happened
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Chief of Defense Forces (UPDF) and SPA/SO apologized to the US for X’s previous post in which he accused the US of aiding the missing opposition leader Bobi Wine.
He cut ties with the US but reversed his stance an hour later.
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“I want to apologize to our great friends the United States for my earlier tweets, which I have now deleted,” wrote Army Chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is also the president’s son, on X.
“I was fed wrong information. I spoke to the American ambassador in our country and everything is fine,” he added.
Adonia Ayebare, Uganda’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, responded to Kainerugaba’s post by saying: “Thank you General for this clarification. Our relationship with the United States of America is mutually beneficial and durable.”
‘deleted’ post
According to AFP, Muhoozi Kainerugaba had previously posted on X that he was cutting ties with the US embassy, accusing it of helping to hide Wine, who has been on the run since elections this month.
Kainerugaba had previously written: “Due to the current situation where the opposition leader has been kidnapped and is missing; and according to our best intelligence, he has done all this in coordination with the current administration at the US Embassy in our country (…) as UPDF, we are severing ALL cooperation with the current administration at the US Embassy in Kampala.”
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Kainerugaba added that this would include its presence in Somalia, where Uganda is providing the main contingent of forces to the international coalition against Islamist insurgents.
The post was later deleted.
Who is Muhoozi Kainerugaba?
Kainerugaba, who heads the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF), is the son of President Yoweri Museveni, 81, who has ruled the country for 40 years and won a seventh term this month.
Considered by many to be his father’s likely successor as president, Kainerugaba is known for his prolific and provocative contributions to X.
Last week, Kainerugaba threatened to hunt down and kill Wine and boasted that his forces had killed 30 of his supporters and arrested 2,000 others since the election.
