Africa-Press – Uganda. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has announced the immediate suspension of all defence and military cooperation with Germany, citing what it called credible intelligence implicating German Ambassador Mathias Schauer in subversive activities aimed at destabilising Uganda.
In a terse statement released on Sunday, May 25, Colonel Chris Magezi, the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, said the decision was informed by “credible intelligence reports” that the ambassador is “actively engaged in subversive activities in the country.”
“This suspension will remain in force until the full resolution of the matter of the Ambassador’s involvement with hostile pseudo political-military forces operating in the country against the Ugandan government,” Magezi said.
Germany’s defence cooperation with Uganda has focused on military training, crisis response, and capacity building for the UPDF, alongside collaboration in military medicine and support for Uganda’s role in the African Union Mission in Somalia.
Joint exercises, strategic planning, and military medical exchanges have formed the core of this long-standing partnership.
The latest move escalates what has become an increasingly tense standoff between Uganda’s security establishment and some Western diplomatic actors, coming days after the army first publicly accused Ambassador Schauer of engaging in activities that violate diplomatic norms.
In a statement on Thursday, the UPDF alleged that several individuals linked to emerging rebel cells had been arrested in recent months for plotting acts of sabotage and rebellion.
The suspects are said to have targeted public infrastructure—including the electricity grid—in central Uganda, and some were reportedly affiliated with the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party.
Colonel Magezi said the rebel-linked groups had been operating in key districts including Wakiso, Mukono, Kayunga, Luweero, Nakaseke, Kiboga, Nakasongola, Mpigi, and the greater Masaka region.
Some suspects have since been charged in courts of law and are awaiting trial.
However, the most contentious part of the military’s recent announcements concerns Ambassador Schauer, who has been directly accused of aiding these shadowy operations.
“We are particularly concerned about the illegal and clandestine activities of the German Ambassador in Uganda,” Magezi said, claiming that Schauer’s actions breach the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
Although the UPDF did not present evidence to substantiate the allegations, the tone and substance of the claims mark an unprecedented escalation in Uganda’s public discourse on foreign interference.
The government says it is addressing the matter through appropriate diplomatic channels.
Uganda’s security agencies have also warned that foreign-backed subversive cells are targeting urban youth for radicalisation, particularly in the slum areas of Kampala.
Magezi urged young Ugandans to reject such overtures and instead embrace government development initiatives.
But opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, has strongly disputed the government’s narrative.
In a statement issued Sunday, the NUP principal described the accusations as a retaliatory ploy by the regime to divert attention from its worsening human rights record.
“During a meeting this Wednesday in Gulu, between the European Union Delegation and Gen. Salim Saleh, the German Ambassador to Uganda and other ambassadors expressed deep concern about the inflammatory social media posts made by Museveni’s brutal son—often followed by actions,” Kyagulanyi said.
He was referring to recent public threats made by Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, President Museveni’s son, toward EU diplomats who visited the NUP headquarters.
“Just hours after the Gulu meeting, the regime has retaliated, now ridiculously accusing Ambassador Schauer of sponsoring unidentified rebel groups to overthrow it!” Kyagulanyi added.
He accused the government of recycling a familiar script of manufacturing rebellion claims to silence critics.
“It is the same script the regime uses to rationalise the abduction, torture, and disappearance of our comrades by falsely accusing them of being criminals,” he said.
“The well-meaning people of Uganda will not be cowed into silence, but will continue pursuing all lawful means to put an end to the regime of blood and shame.”
The German Embassy in Kampala has not yet commented on the allegations. The European Union and other diplomatic missions cited in Kyagulanyi’s statement are also yet to issue formal responses.
The suspension of defence cooperation adds fresh uncertainty to Uganda’s diplomatic engagements with Western partners, particularly in the context of the upcoming 2026 general elections.
Over the past two decades, Uganda’s security establishment has routinely raised alarms about rebellion and foreign-backed plots in the lead-up to elections.
Critics say these narratives are often used to justify crackdowns on dissent, prolonged detentions without trial, and the securitisation of opposition politics.
This time, however, the government has taken the unusual step of publicly naming a sitting European ambassador—a move likely to strain relations with Berlin and heighten scrutiny over Uganda’s internal security and governance climate.
Col Magezi reiterated the army’s resolve to “take decisive action” against both local and foreign actors deemed to be fuelling instability.
“The Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the Inter-Agency Security Committee strongly condemn foreign influence meddling in Uganda’s internal affairs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), a loose political grouping operating clandestinely on the shoulders of NRM, has called on its supporters to hold an “energetic and peaceful demonstration” at the German embassy on June 5.
PLU is led by Gen Muhoozi, who had previously showed presidential ambitions and declared his will to run for the highest office in the land.
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