Uganda’s army has declared the suspension of all military cooperation with Germany, accusing its ambassador, Mathias Schauer, of being a part of “subversive activities”, as well as being “wholly unqualified” to play a role in its state.
Now, it appears the relationship between the two nations is not in a great place after Uganda chose not to back up its claim.
Germany’s foreign ministry has hit back at these claims, labelling them “absurd and without any merit”, per Reuters.
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According to reports, the unforeseen attack on Schauer comes after he raised concerns at a meeting last week about army chief Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the president’s son.
Recently on X, Kainerugaba threatened to behead opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, widely known as Bobi Wine.
The General did not stop there. He also boasted about torturing Wine’s bodyguard after detaining him, and it has led rights groups to accuse the Ugandan government of targeting the opposition, particularly when elections are up.
Wine is expected to run against President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for about four decades, in an election which takes place next year.
Museveni’s critics claim that his government is run by a family dynasty, as his wife, Janet Museveni is the minister of education, and his brother, Gen Salim Saleh, is the chief coordinator of a government programme known as Operation Wealth Creation.
In a private meeting with European Union (EU) diplomats last week, Gen Saleh was present as Schauer brought to the table the army chief’s controversial tweets and the “reputational damage” it was causing to Uganda, per local media.
On Sunday, Gen Kainerugaba hit back with a post, saying he was “having issues” with the German ambassador “that has to do with him as a person”.
“He is wholly unqualified to be in Uganda. It has nothing to do with the great German people. Whom I admire a lot,” he posted.
A different statement also sees army spokesman Col Chris Magezi stating that Uganda was suspending with immediate effect all defence and military cooperation with Germany because of “credible intelligence reports” that Schauer was involved in “subversive activities”.
“The suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the matter of the Ambassador’s involvement with pseudo political-military forces operating in the country against the Ugandan government,” the statement added, without giving evidence to substantiate its claims.
On the website of Germany’s embassy in Uganda, it is stated that bilateral trade between the two nations was worth around $335m (£247m) in 2024, and their relationship was based on “stability and trust.”
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Over the years, Uganda has been heavily involved in peacekeeping operations, as they offered help in Somalia to fight armed Islamist groups trying to overthrow the government.
