By Bosphorus News Geopolitics Desk
Uganda's military suspended all defense and military cooperation with Türkiye on Sept. 19. The decision came one day after supporters of a political organization chaired by army chief Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba protested outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala.
The Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) said the suspension took immediate effect. Col. Chris Magezi, acting director of defense public information, said it would remain in place until outstanding bilateral defense and military issues were resolved.
The statement did not identify those issues. It did not specify which programs were affected and made no mention of Fred Lumbuye.
Lumbuye protest came a day earlier
Hundreds of Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) supporters demonstrated outside the Turkish Embassy on Sept. 18. They demanded Lumbuye's return to Uganda.
Lumbuye is a government critic who has lived in Türkiye for years. His legal status there remains unclear.
Ugandan authorities accuse him of offenses including incitement, spreading false information and computer misuse. There is no public record confirming that Kampala has formally submitted an extradition request to Ankara.
Kainerugaba chairs the PLU and serves as Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces. PLU Secretary-General Fadil Twalla led the Sept. 18 protest after Kainerugaba called for the demonstration earlier in the month.
Twalla told protesters that the PLU would review Turkish interests in Uganda if Lumbuye was not returned.
Kainerugaba later thanked the demonstrators. He wrote on X that Türkiye would comply with the group's demands or life would become "untenable" for Turks in Uganda.
The UPDF suspended military cooperation the following day. Its announcement did not connect the decision to Lumbuye or the protest.
Museveni met Turkish ambassador two days earlier
President Yoweri Museveni met Turkish Ambassador Mehmet Fatih Ak on Sept. 17.
The meeting took place during a ceremony for the Kampala Storage Terminal in Mpigi District. Uganda's presidency said the two discussed bilateral matters. It gave no further details.
Uganda's First Deputy Prime Minister and East African Community Affairs Minister Rebecca Kadaga was also in İstanbul on Sept. 16 and 17 for the AFEX 2026 Business Forum and Expo. Her visit focused on trade and investment between Türkiye and African economies.
Neither Museveni's office nor Uganda's Foreign Ministry has announced a wider suspension of relations with Türkiye.
Kainerugaba had targeted Türkiye before
Kainerugaba's criticism of Türkiye began months before the September protest.
In April, he demanded $1 billion from Türkiye over Uganda's military role against al-Shabaab in Somalia. He also threatened measures against the Turkish Embassy and Turkish Airlines. The posts were later deleted.
AK Party spokesman Ömer Çelik rejected the remarks. He said Türkiye had no dispute with Uganda and called Kainerugaba's claims baseless.
Kainerugaba returned to the issue in September. He called on Turkish nationals to leave Uganda and again demanded Lumbuye's return.
No Ugandan government order expelling Turkish citizens has been issued.
Railway contract remains separate
The dispute has also touched Uganda's largest Turkish infrastructure project.
Uganda signed a €2.7 billion contract with Yapı Merkezi in October 2024 for the roughly 272-kilometer Malaba-Kampala Standard Gauge Railway.
Kainerugaba said in June that Uganda had cancelled the contract. The Ministry of Works and Transport did not announce a formal termination.
Government planning continued to list Yapı Merkezi as the contractor. Ugandan officials also continued work on financing and preparatory construction. Financial close has been targeted for November 2026.
The UPDF decision covers defense and military cooperation. It does not mention Yapı Merkezi or the railway.
Military cooperation dates to 1996
The UPDF says military relations with Türkiye were formalized in 1996. Türkiye has trained Ugandan special forces.
The two countries signed a Military Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding in Kampala on June 1, 2016. Türkiye's parliament approved it in 2022 under Law No. 7363.
A separate defense industry cooperation agreement was signed on the same day. Its ratification bill remains before the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. The agreement covers joint production, technology transfer and defense procurement.
Türkiye and Uganda signed another agreement in Ankara in September 2022 covering military education and training. It includes special forces, military intelligence, electronic warfare, cyber defense and exercises. Its Turkish ratification bill is still pending.
The UPDF has not said which agreements, training programs, procurement plans or active military contacts are covered by the suspension.
Turkish Embassy warns over fake statements
A document presented as a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement circulated online after the suspension.
It claimed Ankara had responded to threats against Turkish citizens and rejected demands involving Lumbuye.
Türkiye's Embassy in Kampala said on Sept. 21 that the statements were fabricated.
"These statements are fake and should therefore be disregarded," the embassy said. It directed readers to official government websites and verified accounts.
The notice did not address Uganda's suspension of military cooperation.
Türkiye's Foreign Ministry has not issued a substantive public response.
Museveni met Türkiye's ambassador on Sept. 17. PLU supporters protested over Lumbuye the next day. The UPDF suspended military cooperation on Sept. 19. Uganda's military has not said the three events are connected.
Sources: Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces, Uganda Broadcasting Corporation, Presidency of Uganda reporting, Uganda Foreign Ministry, Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Turkish Embassy in Kampala, Associated Press, New Vision, Daily Monitor, The EastAfrican, Bosphorus News review and reporting.