Uganda’s army chief, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, is in Rwanda for talks with President Paul Kagame and top security officials. Details remain scanty as neither country has explicitly stated the agenda.
The visit comes as tensions escalate in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where Uganda and Rwanda have competing security interests.
The Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) are in the DRC to combat violent extremists like ADF and Codeco militias. Uganda and the DRC launched a joint military operation in November 2022 to pursue these groups.
Rwanda faces accusations of backing M23 rebels, who have seized key towns in eastern Congo.
Uganda’s troops are now close to M23-controlled areas, raising security concerns.
Brig-Gen Ronald Rwivanga, spokesperson for Rwanda’s military said: "He has come for a lecture of opportunity at the RDF [Rwanda Defence Forces] command and staff college in Nyakinama, Musanze."
Gen Muhoozi, who is also President Yoweri Museveni’s son, recently pledged to sign "a defence pact between Uganda and Rwanda." He warned: "Anyone who attacks one of our countries will have declared war on both."
Uganda has denied allegations of secretly backing M23, while the UN accuses it of exploiting DRC’s resources.
Phil Clark, professor of international politics at SOAS University of London says: “Uganda is acting opportunistically. As the world focuses on M23 and Rwanda, Uganda has used this moment to reinforce its troops in Ituri, shoring up its political and economic sphere in the province.”
“Uganda is copying some of Rwanda's playbook - using an undoubted ethnic threat as a pretext to militarily secure wider objectives in another part of eastern Congo. I doubt Uganda will actively support M23. Uganda has always managed to distance itself from M23, happy for the world to see Rwanda as the main backer of the rebels, even though M23 has previously helped Uganda pursue its own interests in eastern Congo,” he adds.
As the M23 advances and rejects ceasefire calls, Muhoozi’s visit signals growing cooperation between Uganda and Rwanda — a major shift since their land border reopened in 2022.
