Uganda freezes military ties with Türkiye as diplomatic tensions deepen

Uganda has suspended all defence and military cooperation with Türkiye, opening a new chapter in a growing dispute between Kampala and Ankara.
The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) announced on Saturday that the suspension took effect immediately and would remain in place until what it described as outstanding issues between the two countries are resolved.
“The UPDF has with immediate effect suspended all and any Defence and Military cooperation with the Republic of Türkiye,” said Colonel Chris Magezi, Acting Director of Defence Public Information at Uganda’s Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs/UPDF.
He added that the measure would remain in force “until outstanding issues of mutual defence and military cooperation between the two countries are resolved”.
The military did not explain what those outstanding issues are, nor did it specify which existing programmes, agreements or activities have been affected.
The announcement comes after a period of increasingly public tension between Uganda and Türkiye, including a dispute over Ugandan political activist and government critic Fred Lumbuye, who is based in Türkiye.
On Friday, supporters of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) demonstrated outside the Turkish Embassy in Kampala, demanding that Ankara hand Lumbuye over to Ugandan authorities. The Turkish diplomatic mission had announced that it would close temporarily amid the planned demonstration.
The UPDF statement, however, makes no direct reference to Lumbuye or the protest, and it would therefore be premature to conclude that the dispute over him was the sole reason for the military suspension.
Uganda and Türkiye have maintained diplomatic relations for decades, while their defence relationship has expanded significantly in recent years.
Military cooperation has included training, defence-industry engagement and discussions around military equipment and technology. A defence-industries cooperation agreement signed in 2016 provided a framework for closer collaboration between the two countries.
The relationship had continued to develop even as Uganda deepened its wider engagement with Türkiye in areas including infrastructure, trade and investment.
The new suspension therefore represents a significant interruption to a relationship that had previously been moving towards greater military and defence cooperation.
The military announcement follows months of friction involving Uganda’s military leadership and Turkish interests.
The disagreement over Lumbuye has become particularly prominent, with Uganda seeking his return while he remains in Türkiye. The issue has generated demonstrations in Kampala and increasingly strong public statements from senior Ugandan officials.
There have also been tensions over a major railway project involving Turkish construction company Yapı Merkezi, adding an economic dimension to the broader disagreement. Ugandan authorities had previously contracted the company to work on the Malaba-Kampala section of the country’s planned Standard Gauge Railway.
Despite the deterioration in relations, Saturday’s announcement does not amount to a formal severing of diplomatic relations between Uganda and Türkiye.
There has been no announcement of the closure of embassies or a complete breakdown in diplomatic ties. The measure announced by the UPDF specifically concerns military and defence cooperation.
What happens next?
The immediate question is what Kampala means by the “outstanding issues” cited by Colonel Magezi.
The UPDF has not provided a timetable for resolving them, nor has it said whether military cooperation could resume in stages.
It is also unclear whether existing defence-industry projects, training arrangements, procurement discussions or other forms of military engagement will remain frozen for the duration of the suspension.
For Ankara and Kampala, the next steps are likely to depend on whether the underlying disagreements can be addressed through diplomatic channels.
For now, Uganda’s decision puts a formal halt to military cooperation with a country that had become an increasingly important defence partner, while leaving diplomatic relations between the two states intact.