KAMPALE.
In a dramatic turn of events ,the Uganda People’s Defense Forces(UPDF) has announced the immediate suspension of all defense and military cooperation with Germany, citing alleged subversive activities by the German Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer, in a move that has sharply escalated diplomatic tensions between the two brotherly countries.
UPDF accused H E Schauer—who has served in Uganda for close to five years —of meddling in the country’s internal affairs and funding rebels to destabilize the nation ahead of next year’s general elections.
“UPDF has with immediate effect suspended all ongoing defence and military cooperation activities with the Federal Republic of Germany,” Col. Chris Magezi, the acting director of Defence Public Information said in a statement posted his X on Sunday ,adding
“The decision is in response to credible intelligence reports that the current German Ambassador to Uganda, His Excellency Mathias Schauer, is actively engaged in subversive activities,”
The Army in the first statement on May 23,2025 also connected HE Schauer to Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) –some of its members , they say are part of the group bent on destabilizing the country .
However, Mr Kyagulanyi in a May 24,2025 statement on his X (formerly Twitter) platform described Col. Magezi’s claims as an all-too-familiar script by “the regime: manufacturing ‘threats’ to shield itself from accountability and justify its relentless violent persecution of whoever demands an end to its dictatorship and corruption.”
According to NUP president , it is the same script the regime uses to rationalise the abduction, torture, and disappearance of Opposition supporters by falsely accusing them of being criminals in an attempt to silence and intimidate them.
“We hope that the world can recognise these tactics for what they truly are and continue holding the regime accountable for its transgressions against the people of Uganda and humanity as a whole! 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,” Mr Kyagulanyi added.
However, the developments come just days after a delegation from the European Union visited the NUP headquarters for a meeting with party leaders.
NUP leadership implored the European Union mission in Uganda to press hard the ruling NRM government over the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, perpetuated by the UPDF under the leadership of President Museveni’s son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who serves as the Chief of Defence Forces .
The EU delegation’s visit seemed to have angered Gen Muhoozi, who took to his X platform and called it “an abomination” before warning that the EU was “playing with fire.”
Gen Muhoozi, 51, has on several occasions, through his X platform, boasted of torturing opposition supporters and threatening to behead opposition leaders, including Mr Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine and veteran opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye, who has been in prison since November 2024.
On May 21, 2025, the EU delegation also met President Museveni’s younger brother, Gen Salim Saleh, who serves as the Special Presidential Adviser on Defence and Security as well as the national coordinator of Operation Wealth Creation, and reportedly expressed concern over Gen Muhoozi’s threatening posts on social media.
The diplomatic tiff comes amid a surge in arrests, enforced disappearances and reported abductions of opposition supporters, mostly from NUP, after Mr Kyagulanyi recently declared his intention to challenge Mr Museveni, 80, for the second time in the 2026 general election.
Last month, Mr Kyagulanyi’s civilian head of security, Mr Edward Ssebuufu, was abducted by soldiers attached to the elite Special Forces Command (SFC), an elite unit guarding Mr Museveni and held for over a week.
Days later, Gen Muhoozi posted on X that he was detaining him “in my basement, teaching him Runyankore”, a statement that drew widespread condemnation both locally and internationally.
Members of Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) ,formed by Gen Muhoozi has since vowed to stage a demo at the German Embassy in Kampala on June 5 to express their disillusionment with the conduct of H E Schauer.