19 days on, Uganda-Türkiye military freeze remains unresolved

What the report says

Uganda’s suspension of defence and military cooperation with Türkiye remains unresolved 19 days after the Uganda People’s Defence Forces announced the freeze on September 19, according to The Independent Uganda. The paper reports that Acting Director of Defence Public Information Col. Chris Magezi said the measure would stay in place until outstanding issues in the bilateral defence relationship were settled, but neither Kampala nor Ankara has since publicly explained the dispute or outlined any diplomatic effort to repair it.

The report says analysts believe a prolonged break could affect military training, intelligence sharing, technology transfer and broader commercial ties. One security analyst cited Uganda’s dependence on Türkiye as a defence partner, while another said the relationship had already been strained by issues including Türkiye’s refusal to extradite Ugandan blogger Fred Kajubi Lumbuye. The article also notes an unconfirmed account that the row may be linked to disagreements over Turkish financing for Ugandan troops deployed in Somalia under African Union missions.

The piece adds broader background on the relationship, describing Türkiye as a major supplier of military equipment and training for Uganda and a growing investor in the country. It cites Turkish involvement in projects such as the eastern line of the Standard Gauge Railway and Hoima City Stadium. The report says the unresolved freeze matters because it could affect both security cooperation and trade, especially as Uganda remains a major troop contributor in Somalia and Türkiye expands its footprint in East Africa.