Somalia: President Defends Uganda’s Military Role Amid Turkish Influence Tensions

MOGADISHU, Somalia — President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Sunday moved to underscore Uganda’s deep and costly military involvement in Somalia, stressing that Kampala has continued to bankroll troop deployments beyond the African Union mandate and has absorbed heavy losses in hardware without compensation.

The president’s remarks offered a diplomatic rebuttal to recent pointed comments from Uganda’s Chief of Defense Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who has drawn attention for his criticism of foreign influence in the Horn of Africa.

Mohamud said Ugandan forces have paid a steep price since becoming the first contingent to deploy under the original African Union mission in 2007. He noted that Uganda has lost expensive military equipment in operations against al-Shabab militants and has not been reimbursed by international partners for those losses.

The comments came as friction widened after Kainerugaba publicly targeted Turkey, questioning Ankara’s growing security role in Somalia. The general, son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, also challenged Turkey’s historical role during the early, high-casualty period of efforts to secure Mogadishu.

Turkey has since emerged as a major provider of military training and maritime defense support to Somalia’s federal government, while Uganda remains the largest troop contributor to the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).

Diplomatic observers said Mohamud’s statement appeared designed to ease tensions with Kampala, an important security ally, even as Somalia continues to preserve its strategic partnership with Turkey in a regional environment growing more complicated by competing interests and shifting alliances.

AXADLETM