The Ugandan army has announced the suspension of all military cooperation with Germany after having accused his ambassador, Mathias Schauer, of being involved in “subversive activities” and of being “completely without reservation” to be in the state of East Africa.
The army did not support its complaint, but its decision signals a strong deterioration in relations between the two nations.
Rejecting the accusations, a spokesperson for the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs described them as “absurd and without any merit,” reports the news agency Reuters.
The very unusual attack against Schauer came after aroused concerns about the army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is the president’s son, at a meeting last week.
On X recently, the general threatened to decapitate the opposition chief Robert Kyagulayi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
General Kainerugaba also boasted of torturing Wine’s bodyguard after having detained it.
Rights defense groups have long been accused of the Ugandan government of targeting the opposition, in particular in the perspective of the elections.
Wine should appear against President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for almost four decades, during an election due next year.
Museveni’s criticisms allege that the government is led by a family dynasty – his wife, Janet Museveni is the Minister of Education, and his brother, Gen Salim Saleh, is the chief coordinator of a government program known as the wealth operation creation.
Gen Saleh held a private meeting with European Union diplomats (EU) last week, where Schauer – Germany’s ambassador in Uganda since 2020 – has raised concerns about the controversial tweets of the army chief and “reputation damage” that this caused in Uganda, local media reported.
General Kainerugaba retreded on Sunday, saying that he “had problems” with the German ambassador “who has to do with him as a person”.
“It is completely unreserved to be in Uganda. It has nothing to do with the great German people. That I admire a lot,” he posted.
In a separate declaration, the army spokesman, Col Chris Magezi said that Uganda suspended any defense and military cooperation with Germany with an immediate effect because of “credible intelligence reports” that Schauer was involved in “subversive activities”.
“The suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the question of the participation of the ambassador in the military pseudo-military operating in the country against the Ugandan government,” added the press release, without testifying to support its assertions.
On its website, the German Embassy in Uganda said that bilateral trade between the two nations was worth around $ 335 million (247 million pounds sterling) in 2024, and their relationship was based on “stability and confidence”.
He did not give details on military cooperation between the two nations.
Uganda is strongly involved in peacekeeping operations, especially in Somalia, where it helps fight armed Islamist groups that try to overthrow the government.
