Uganda has maintained a military presence in Somalia for nearly 20 years as part of African Union missions, primarily targeting the militant group Al-Shabaab, which has links to Al-Qaeda.
Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Chief of Defence Forces, the son of President Yoweri Museveni, has demanded $1 billion from Turkey and the most beautiful woman in the country as his wife. His demand came while claiming that Uganda’s contribution to regional security efforts had gone unrecognised, along with due financial compensation.
Kainerugaba has also warned of stopping diplomatic ties with Turkey and shutting down its embassy in Kampala within 30 days if his demands are not fulfilled. In addition, he made a separate controversial remark, demanding that Turkey hand over “the most beautiful woman in the nation to marry her”.
In a series of posts on X, Muhoozi Kainerugaba accused Turkey of profiting from business and infrastructure ventures in Somalia, including ports and airports in the capital, Mogadishu. He argued that while Turkey benefits financially, Uganda has borne the brunt of security responsibilities for years.
Uganda has maintained a military presence in Somalia for nearly 20 years as part of African Union missions, primarily targeting the militant group Al-Shabaab, which has links to Al-Qaeda.
He added that Uganda deserves $1 billion from Turkey as a “security dividend.” “For Turkey, it’s a really simple deal… Either they pay us, or I close their embassy here. They can reciprocate and shut our embassy in Turkey as well. No problem,” his posts on X read.
Kainerugaba also stressed that ties between Uganda and Turkey are serious and should not be reduced to social media theatrics. He also threatened to cut diplomatic ties with Turkey and said, “Forget Twitter games. We will close diplomatic relations with them very soon.”
He also alleged that Turkey was treating Uganda unfairly, remarking, “Who needs a friend who keeps stabbing you in the back.” He additionally urged Ugandan citizens to avoid travelling to Turkey, citing concerns for their safety.
Also read: US to ‘shortly’ begin naval blockade of Strait of Hormuz, announces Trump
Vinay Prasad Sharma is a Delhi-based journalist with over three years of newsroom experience, currently working as a Sub-Editor at WION. He specialises in crafting SEO-driven natio…Read More
