Newsletters
Ugandan Chief of Defense Forces Muhoozi Kainerugaba has once again targeted Türkiye with a new wave of hostile social media posts on Wednesday, reviving tensions that had briefly eased earlier this month.
In a series of messages shared online, Kainerugaba issued direct threats and used offensive language toward Türkiye, threatening to expel Türkiye's ambassador to Uganda, Mehmet Fatih Ak, if Ankara does not agree to extradite Ugandan activist Fred Lumbuye.
"I’m going to finish with Türkiye soon... they must produce Lumbuye to us soon. Or else I will expel their extremely USELESS ambassador!" Kainerugaba, who is also the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, wrote.
In another post, he used derogatory language targeting Turkish people, claiming that Africans had long been submissive and warning of consequences if Uganda faced further threats. "They should be scared of us! Any more threats against us will be met with consequences!" he posted.
Lumbuye is a Ugandan government critic and social media activist known for posting controversial claims about the country’s leadership.
He lived in Türkiye for a period, where he continued his online activities before being detained by Turkish authorities in 2021 over immigration-related issues. He was later deported.
The latest remarks follow his earlier provocative outburst, when Kainerugaba issued a set of demands for Ankara in early April.
He threatened to cut diplomatic ties within 30 days and ban Turkish Airlines from Ugandan airspace. He also claimed that Uganda was owed $1 billion, framing it as compensation tied to the country’s long-standing military role in Somalia under the African Union missions against the terrorist group al-Shabaab.
Ankara dismissed his earlier statements as unfounded. Omer Celik, speaking on behalf of Türkiye’s ruling AK Party, rejected the claims and called for a correction.
"Türkiye has no problem with Uganda," Celik said, adding that Kainerugaba had made similarly baseless statements about other countries, too. "Those remarks are wrong and must be corrected. We hope he speaks more carefully from now on."
Kainerugaba subsequently deleted the posts on April 12.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
1 min read
