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The Eganda Army has announced the suspension of all military cooperation with Germany after having accused its ambassador, Matthias Schauer, of being involved in “subversive activities” and of being “totally unqualified” to be in the state of Eastern Africa.
The army did not support its claim, but its decision reports a strong deterioration of relations between nations.
By refusing the accusations, a spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry called them “absurd and without any merit”, reports the Reuters news agency.
The unusual attack on Schauer came after, according to what reported, he raised concerns about the head of the army Gen Moshoozi Kainerugaba, who is the president of the president, in a meeting last week.
Recently, the general threatened to beheading the opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine.
Gen Kainerugaba also boasted of the torture of the wine bodyguard after having detained it.
The groups for rights have long accused the Ugandan government of having targeted the opposition, especially in view of the elections.
The wine should run against President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for almost four decades, in an election scheduled for next year.
Museveni’s critics claim that the government is managed by a family dynasty – his wife, Janet Museveni, is the minister of education and his brother, Gen Salim Saleh, is the main coordinator of a government program known as Operation Wealth Creation.
Last week Gen Saleh held a private meeting with the European Union diplomats (EU), where Schauer – German ambassador in Uganda since 2020 – raised concerns about the controversial tweets of the army head and the “reputational damage” that he was causing a Uganda, according to what was reported by the local media.
Gen Kainerugaba reacted with a Sunday post, saying he was “having problems” with the German ambassador “who has to do with him as a person”.
“He is not fully qualified to be in Uganda. He has nothing to do with the great German people. Who I admire a lot,” he published.
In a separate declaration, the army spokesman, with Chris Magezi, said that Uganda was suspending all defense and military cooperation with Germany with immediate effect due to “credible intelligence relationships” that Schauer was involved in “subversive activities”.
“The suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the issue of the involvement of the ambassador with pseudo political-military forces operating in the country against the Ugandan government,” added the declaration, without giving evidence to prove his statements.
On his website, the German embassy in Uganda said that bilateral trade between the two nations was worth about $ 335 million (£ 247 million) in 2024 and their relationship was based on “stability and trust”.
He did not provide details on military cooperation between the two nations.
Uganda is strongly involved in peace maintenance operations, even in Somalia, where she is helping to fight armed Islamist groups trying to overturn the government.
